Holi in Braj

From the Lathmar Holi of Barsana to the flower Holi of Vrindavan and the Huranga of Dauji, the festival of colours in Braj is steeped in the love of Radha and Krishna.

Holi is linked with the story of the devotee Prahlad. Hiranyakashipu was enraged by his son Prahlad's devotion to Vishnu. His sister Holika, who was believed to be protected from fire, sat in a blazing fire holding Prahlad in her lap, but by the grace of the Lord Prahlad was unharmed while Holika was burnt. In memory of this, Holika Dahan, the Holi bonfire, is lit on the night of Phalgun Purnima, and the festival of colours is played the next day.

In Braj, Holi takes on its deepest colour because here it is bound up with the loving pastimes of Shri Radha and Shri Krishna. According to the popular tradition, the dark-complexioned Krishna once asked Mother Yashoda why Radha was so fair, and Yashoda laughingly told Him to go and colour her in His own hue. Ever since, Holi in Braj has been a festival of love and joy. It falls in the month of Phalgun, usually in February or March, and in Braj the celebrations stretch over many days.

In the famous Lathmar Holi of Barsana, the cowherd men of Nandgaon come to Barsana, and the women there playfully rain blows on them with long sticks while the men shield themselves. The next day the men of Barsana go to Nandgaon and the play is repeated there. Before this, Laddu Holi is played at the Shriji temple in Barsana. At the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, around Rangbhari Ekadashi (Phalgun Shukla Ekadashi), there is Phoolon ki Holi, when flower petals instead of colours are showered on the devotees. The day after Dhulandi, the village of Baldeo celebrates the Dauji ka Huranga, in which women tear the shirts of the men, twist them into whips and playfully drive them around the temple courtyard.

In Gujarat this Phalgun festival is celebrated as Phagotsav. Large fairs are held at Dwarka and Dakor on Phalgun Purnima, and many pilgrims walk all the way to Dakor for the darshan of Ranchhodrai Ji, where Holi is played with the Lord using abil, gulal and flowers.

Tithi

Month of Phalgun; Holika Dahan on Phalgun Purnima, colours on the following day

Month

February–March

Places

Barsana, Nandgaon, Vrindavan, Mathura, Baldeo, Dwarka, Dakor