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| (A Holi Bonfire) |
This winter’s end celebration, which occurs each year on the final full-moon day of Phalguna (a lunar month which aligns with late February or March), not only marks the beginning of spring, but also honors some legendary Hindu events.
In Vaishnavism, a form of Hinduism in which Vishnu is particularly focused upon, the “great king of demons” Hiranyakashipu had been granted a boon by Brahma which made it almost impossible for Hiranyakashipu to be killed (due to the penance that he had previously shown). Wikipedia reports that this boon made Hiranyakashipu so smug that he then became a tremendous threat to both the Heavens and Earth.
However, Hiranyakashipu had a son named Prahlada who was a steadfast devotee of Vishnu. Because this maddened Hiranyakashipu, he made numerous attempts to kill Prahlada. All
these attempts miraculously failed. Finally, in desperation, Hiranyakashipu devised a plan that he thought was foolproof. He lured Prahlada onto the lap of his sister Holika, intending to then burn him to death. Because
Holika also had a special boon from Brahma, Hiranyakashipu figured that only Prahlada would be harmed by the murderous flames. He figured wrong. Vishnu saw to
it that Prahlada remained unharmed. Instead, it was Holida who burned to death. Holi bonfires therefore commemorate the power of such faith in Vishnu.
Devotees of Krishna associate Holi with the divine love of Radha for Krishna. There is also a Holi tradition that centers upon Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love. According to this tradition, Kamadeva violently interrupted Shiva’s meditation so that Parvati could marry Shiva. Shiva’s third eye suddenly opened, and the gaze was so powerful that Kamadeva’s “body was reduced to ashes.” Shiva then restored only the “mental image” of Kamadeva in order to emphasize that love is more spiritual than physical.
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamadeva
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