It’s the festivals of colors, festival of sharing love and happiness. As usual, when the colorful season of flowers [THE SPRING SEASON] is on the way, it is welcomed in a very colorful way. We celebrate as a Holi or FAGU PURNIMA in Nepal and in the same way there is a colorful festival in Israel too, which is called PURIM.

Holi is a religious festival of Hindu but now it has been popular with the people of other religions or communities in many parts of South Asia, as well as people living outside Asia. As the spring season brings the color in nature, probably this festival was also inspired by this theme. This festival has spread to many parts of Europe and North America as a SPRING CELEBRATION of love.

As the spring season brings the color in nature, probably this festival was also inspired by this theme. This festival has spread to many parts of Europe and North America as a SPRING CELEBRATION of love.

There is a myth after this festival. The word “Holi” came from the “Holika”, the evil sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu who once demanded that everyone worship only him as he became so powerful and earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. Since Prahlad the son of Hiranyakashipu went against his father’s cruelty and worshiped lord Vishnu instead. Being infuriated Hiranyakashipu and his sister Holika (Prahlada’s evil aunt) planted a trick to murder Prahlad. She sit on a pyre with Prahlad wearing a cloak that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlad, who survived while Holika burned.

Hence this festival signifies the victory of goodness over evil spirit, the arrival of spring, end of winter. We, Nepalese no matter wherever we are living or struggling, we try to get together and celebrate this great festival with colors and share our happiness. Here are some photos of HOLI 2016 which we celebrated in Ramat Gan.

 

On the vicinity of Spring, Purim has already been started to be observed in Israel before few days, which is also a symbol of Color and happiness. They wear different types of clothes and pretends to be different person. This festival has also an interesting story, which is also celebrated welcoming the spring to commemorate the defeat of Haman’s plan to kill the Jews people. Purim also symbolizes the victory of goodness, celebration of Happiness and colors as colorful people with strange costumes really looks like a moving flowers of spring