Holi is one of the most famous festivals of India. It is celebrated on the arrival of the spring season every year. It is celebrated with great zeal and fervor in every region of India.
Holi festival marks the beginning of summer every year. This celebration is considered as the festival of colors in India, as people all across India get soaked in the colored water and have an exciting color fight during the festival day. It is an old festival of the Hindus, known for sharing affection.
The major festival, Holi is celebrated in India as well as in Nepal, and other parts of the world where people of Hindu community or Indian Origin live. Holi 2020 will be celebrated on 10 March 2020.
Holi – History, Mythologies, Legends & Beyond
- The Holi festival has cultural importance among different Hindu traditions in the Indian subcontinent.
- This festive day is celebrated to end up the past errors, to end clashes by meeting others, a day to forgive and excuse everyone’s mistakes.
- Individuals pay or forgive debts and as well as manage those in their lives.
Mythological Importance of Holi
The celebration of Holi festival reassures everyone about the power of the truth as the moral as well as the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakashyap also proved the fact that immense devotion to god always pays as god always supports his true devotee and takes him to his shelter. People burn Holi, the ritual named as ‘Holika Dahan’ while remembering Prahlad’s dedication towards God.
All in all, the Holi festival strengthens the traditional beliefs and emotional bond among the people around India and the world, as everyone celebrates this colorful and lively festival with full excitement and love. Let’s learn about the Amazing Places to Celebrate Holi in India in 2020 that you can enjoy:
Newzito.com India is the only one site that brings the Best Places to Celebrate Holi in India in 2020 to make you learn the unique ways of Holi celebrations in India:
1. Braj ki Holi – Uttar Pradesh
Braj Ki Holi is very popular in India. It is located in the northern region of India in Uttar Pradesh. The people of Braj also known as Brajwasi, commend the Holi celebration in an exotic manner. It is also a belief in Hindu Mythology that the festival of Holi began in Braj, which is considered as the homeland of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha.
At Braj, Holi starts on the very first day of Amavasya in Phalgun month; however the celebrations start from the day of Ekadashi. In India, just a couple of days’ official holiday is announced for the Holi celebration, however, at Braj, people off for 8 days to celebrate this beautiful festival of colors.
2. Phoolon ki Holi at – Mathura and Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh & Pushkar
Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood is renowned worldwide for observing Phoolon ki Holi or Holi with Flowers. To observe this special Holi with flowers by the local people and a huge number of Lord Krishna devotees, visit Vrindavan this Holi 2020 and get spiritually connected with the life of Lord Krishna. Flower petals are being spread on one another with an aim to revive brotherhood.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Rajasthan, Pushkar also celebrated this festival starting from few days before Holi by the devotees of Lord Krishna, in a remarkable way. In Pushkar, individuals celebrate Holi with flower rather than colors. The pilgrims dance on the hymns of Lord Krishna through devotional hymns.
3. The Energetic festival – Hola Mohalla, Anandpur Sahib in Punjab
Holi in Punjab is celebrated with great excitement in a unique style and loaded with energy, which is known as ‘Hola Mohalla’.
They follow a peculiar tradition, where they need to shout loud at their hearts content and show kushti or martial arts like archery, fancy horse-riding, sword fencing and tent-pegging etc. especially by the Nihang Sikhs.
At night, enjoy the festival of colors and savoring delights like gujias, halwa, puris, and malpuas. The Holi festival in Punjab contrasts from others, as a bonfire isn’t lit during the celebration.
Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab is very famous all over India and world. It is believed in Sikhism that on the day of Hola Mohalla, the tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the pahul or baptism of the Khalsas, chose the ‘Panj Pyare’ and trained his followers as the warrior-mendicants.
4 Laddoo ki Holi – Barsana, Mathura
Barsana, which is located around 50 km away from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh observes Holi in an exceptionally different manner in the Goddess Radha temple. Laddoos (sweet balls made with gram floor) are distributed among the pilgrims that imply the arrival of Lord Krishna to Barsana from Nandgaon, to meet his beloved Radha.
As per legends, Lord Krishna used to tease Radha with playful ways during his visit to Barsana, Mathura on this day. Therefore, Krishna and his companion were chased away by the group of gopis (girls). Laddoo ki Holi is subsequently, celebrated the day before ‘Lathmar Holi’ in Mathura.
5. Lathmar Holi, Barsana, Uttar Pradesh
The neighboring towns of Nandgaon and Barsana in Uttar Pradesh, go to witness ‘Lathmar Holi’ a couple of days before the main Holi festival. Consequently, various tourists and pilgrims visit this spot to observe this exceptional festival every year. It is believed that Lord Krishna used to visit Barsana to meet Radha and prodded her playfully. So, he was driven away by the village women.
From that point forward, the women of Barsana chase the men from Nandgaon (Krishna’s town) and hit them with sticks. Barsana is the main spot in India that houses a temple dedicated especially to Goddess Radha. The compound of this sanctuary stays thronged by visitors to witness ‘Lathmar Holi’. One can enjoy Holi Songs in Braj Language and the individuals acclaim Lord Krishna and Radha loudly by saying Jai Sri Radhey or Jai Sri Krishna.
6. Eleholi – Jaipur
Rajasthan is one of the major tourist spots in India, where Holi is celebrated with great enthusiasm and in a unique way. The Holi celebration is organized there for several days with the belief of expelling negativity and darkness from the homes by lighting a pious bonfire.
Tourists can enjoy the Holi celebration in the morning, organized by Rajasthan Tourism at the lawns of Khasa Kothi Hotel. Watch and experience the happy color throwing on one another, while enjoying the royal folk music of Rajasthan. You can also witness Eleholi at Eleday elephant sanctuary situated close to Amber Fort, in Jaipur. Her, you can enjoy the inclusion of the enormous but cute elephants in different Holi celebration activities.
7. Rangpanchami Holi in Maharashtra – Mumbai
Holi is commended with great grandeur in Maharashtra by the name of Rangpanchami or Shimga. The color battle here starts on the fifth day. Individuals additionally enjoy Puranpoli, a traditional scrumptious delicacy of Maharasthra. This celebration is commonly famous in the fisher-society. Singing, Dancing and merry-making are the main events of this celebration.
You can reach Maharashtra via Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport as it offers various different flights associating the major cities of India and around the globe. So, reaching Maharashtra will be a matter of minutes only. So, plan your visit to Maharashtra this Holi 2020.
8. Basanta Utsav, Shantiniketan, Kolkata in West Bengal
In West Bengal, Holi is commended as Spring Festival or Basant Utsav. It was Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who began the tradition of Basant Utsav celebration at his University, Shantiniketan in Kolkata. The girls and boys at Shantiniketan welcome spring with great enthusiasm through music, dance moves and reciting songs, other than sprinkling colors on each other.
Experience this exquisite way of Holi festivity in the tranquil environment of Shantiniketan in Kolkata to treasure the memorable minutes all through life.
9. Joyous Raasaganga Holi Utsav, Yaoshang, Manipur – in Manipur
The celebration of festival of colors is commended with a lot of excitement in Manipur. Everybody taking part in this cheerful festival, locally named ‘Yaoshang’ is celebrated for five days. In Manipur, individuals worship Lord Krishna and afterward burn a hut of straw called ‘Yaoshang Meithaba’, before starting the celebration. Little boys and girls go from door to door wearing traditional attires, seeking ‘Nakatheng’ or standard money.
10. Spectacular and Royal Holi Celebration – Udaipur
Holi in Udaipur is completely stupendous and illustrious. On the arrival of Holi, The Maharaja of Mewar welcomes respectable guest of honors, many dignitaries and numerous foreign tourists to The Royal City Palace. The Maharana lands in the festival wearing traditional attires and a bonfire is lit in the big ground of the royal residence. The bonfire denotes the victory of good over evil. There are folk dances, and songs followed by cocktails, a luxurious supper, and brilliant fireworks.
Sweets & Savories of Holi
People celebrating the festival of colors- Holi are served with several delicious sweets and scrumptious savories as refreshments.
A huge variety of sweets, drinks, thandayi, gujia, pakode, jalebi, halwa, puranpoli, kachori, etc are served. It is a tradition in Indian homes to serve sweets to the guests who visit during Holi to sweeten the relationships.
Basic Precautions and tips during Holi in India
Keep in mind the below mentioned basic precautions and tips for Holi 2020 to so that you enjoy the festival of colors to the fullest.
- You must apply mustard oil or coconut oil before playing Holi. This keeps the colors from sticking to your skin and allows easy removal of colors.
- Also, do proper oiling on hair before playing with colors to create a protective layer on your hair and to prevent the color spreading on the scalp.
- During Holi celebration, there are chances of color entering in the mouth that can impact badly on your teeth. So, for a safer side, it’s recommended to wear dental caps to guard your teeth
- Wear a cotton scarf on your head to guard your hair and to prevent your skin from harsh colors.
- Try to keep your eyes closed whenever someone is applying color on your face, or better put on a pair of cool sunglasses so that color does not enter your eye.
- Take shower after playing Holi and apply a good moisturizing cream to soothe your skin and restore its lipid balance.
- To prevent your nails from harsh colors, you should apply nail paint before playing Holi.
Now you have learned all about the Amazing Places to Celebrate Holi in India in 2020. So, which according to you is the best place to celebrate Holi 2020 in India? Color fight, Getting beaten with sticks, Holi with flowers or Laddoo Ki Holi? Wherever you visit to celebrate Holi in India, make sure you enjoy the most of this Holi 2020 and welcome the spring season at its best!
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