Holi

Oh! To be in England now that spring is here …. and to drink an English Beer.

As spring approaches remnants of a childhood song echoes in my mind, and I try to recall the lines and express the joyous days of yore. Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Indians, also known as festival of colors, it is celebrated in India, by people throwing scented powder and perfume at each other. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival; Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season, the burning of “Holika” is a metaphor for cleansing and a fresh start. One of its biggest customs is, the loosening strictness of social structures, which normally include religion, age, sex, status, and caste. No holier than thou attitude here as it closes the wide gaps between social classes and brings everyone together.

The cosmic orbit of cyclical change of seasons translated into a burst of colors, these cyclical changes are the essence of nature’s being. The atmosphere is filled with excitement and joy, originally, it was a festival that commemorated good harvests and the fertile land; in addition to celebrating the coming of spring.
Indians believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter.. The Ashoka tree is aflame with orange and red blossoms, while the chaffinch sings on the elm’s orchard bough, and all the swallows! Hark! It’s the time when earth begins to bloom again, in a riot of blossoms and dewdrops, the buttercups, gaudy melon-flowers; a variety, of bees, butterflies and bees galore come out draping the earth in a rainbow hue. The parakeets, rainbow hued sunbirds, the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, in fine careless rapture!

Everyone is dancing to the deeper rhythm of the cosmic cycle of life and death, the link whose imprimatur is embedded in the DNA of the Universe. The confluence that arises from the converging of seasons in the sun, the vehicle of transformation of life on earth. The seasons are like the phases in our life, spring that brings joy and happiness, summer barren and hollow, winter dreary, despondent and dull, and finally the autumn of our lives.

So all over the world this time is agog with festivals of the spring season, The Persian Nowruz, the Feria De San Marcos in Mexico, Las Fallas in Spain, the Kha-b’ Nisan Assyrian, Songkran in Thailand and Israeli festivals welcome the sun and the departure of the cold lonely winter with celebrations. And as George Harrison sang “Here comes the sun”…. And so the earth shall rejoice and bloom as the winter sorrowful and sighing shall flee. Ishiah
–Vinay- (Bibilography :Poem by Robin Frost, Vithal Nadkarni link and holi festivities.)