Kathmandu, March 2: Fagu Purnima, known as Holi, is being celebrated today with color and water in the Himalayan and hill districts. The festival falls every year on the full moon day of the bright fortnight of Falgun.

With the arrival of spring, Holi carries a message of harmony and goodwill. The tradition goes back to ancient times. Until a few years ago, celebrations in the Kathmandu Valley often turned unruly. Now, due to active policing, the festival has become more orderly.

Throwing color and water balloons at passersby against their will has almost stopped. In the past, young women were often targeted with water balloons for days before the festival, creating fear and discomfort. Rama KC, who works in the private sector and traveled from Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur to Putalisadak, said she was able to move around freely this year, even on the eve of Holi.

On this occasion, people gather at Basantapur in Kathmandu. They take down the ceremonial pole known as Chhir, erected earlier, and carry it with music to Tundikhel for burning. It is believed that the flags tied to the pole have healing properties, so people scramble to take pieces of them. Many also apply ash from the burnt pole on their foreheads, believing it wards off misfortune.

Holi formally begins on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of Falgun, when a decorated pole is erected in front of Gaddi Baithak at Basantapur after ritual worship.

Tonight at Tundikhel, there is also a traditional ritual involving a demon called Gurumapa. Cooked rice and buffalo meat, brought from Itumbahal without being set down anywhere, are offered before being washed at a spout called Jadhu inside the military hospital premises.

The festival is linked to the myth from the Treta Yuga in which demon king Hiranyakashyapu tried to kill his devotee son Prahlad. He asked his sister Holika, who had a boon that fire could not harm her, to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad. Holika burned to ashes, while Prahlad remained unharmed. Since then, Holi is seen as a celebration of the defeat of evil.

Another story from the Dwapar Yuga tells of Putana, a demoness sent by King Kansa to kill Lord Krishna. She failed and was killed, after which villagers celebrated by burning her body.

Experts also point to the Ayurvedic value of the festival. Properly prepared colors and abir are believed to help prevent skin diseases and reduce winter-related ailments. The smoke from the burnt Chhir is also said to destroy germs that spread during winter, according to Dr Bansdeep Sharma Kharel, chief of the Ayurveda Promotion Branch under the Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine.

The government has traditionally declared a public holiday for Holi. In the Terai region, the festival is observed a day after the full moon. This year, Holi will be celebrated in the Terai on Tuesday, and the government has announced a public holiday there as well.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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