Holi Festival
Holi is one of the most festive, joyous holidays of the Hindu year. Song, dance and brightly-coloured powder are the hallmarks of the occasion. As HH Param Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji - Muniji so beautifully shares, "Holi is a a time to bathe in the colours of the divine on this beautiful holy day!"
There are two different meanings of the word Holi, if we look at it purely semantically: First, “Holi” means that which has happened, “Jo hogaya, holi,” has passed. So Holi is a time to acknowledge what has happened and then to move on, allowing us to be free from the chains of the past to move into the present. Another meaning is that the past has happened (Ho) and now we take (Li) a pledge for the present and future- so it is an opportunity for a new pledge for a new you. So if, amidst our joyous revelry, we can truly take this deep meaning of Holi into our heart, then purity, divinity, truth and goodness will again – as in the time of Prahlad and Holika – vanquish arrogance, greed, deception, ego and grudges, and we will all be able to move forward into a bright future.
Pujya Swamiji says, “Let this Holi be a time when we change. Not only the colour of our faces, but the colour of our hearts. Let us not only play Holi, but let us become Holy!“
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