Vibrant festival of Holi is one of the biggest and most eagerly awaited festivals in India. Tradition and culture loving people of India celebrate Holi by following the set rituals of the day. Days before the festival people start gathering wood for the lighting of the bonfire called Holika at the major crossroads of the city. This ensures that at the time of the actual celebration a huge pile of wood is collected. Then on the eve of Holi, people burn the effigy of Holika, the devil minded sister of demon King Hiranyakashyap. The ceremony is called Holika Dahan and has its roots in the ancient legend that says Holika tried to kill Hiranyakashyap's son Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. The ritual symbolizes victory of good over evil and also the triumph of a true devotee.

Splash of Colors
The day following Holika Dahan is the main day of Holi celebrations and is also is called Dhuleti. It is on this day that the actual play of colors takes place. There is no tradition of holding puja and is meant for pure enjoyment. Ritual of playing colors is rampant in North India particularly in Mathura and Vrindavan. In Maharashtra and Gujarat too, Holi is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and fun.

On the day of Holi, people take extreme delight in immersing dear ones with colours of love. People move out in-groups or tolis and spray colored water on each other with pichkaris (water jets) or pour buckets and buckets of it. Singing Bollywood Holi numbers and dancing on the beat of dholak is also a part of the modern day Holi tradition. Amidst all this activity people relish gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other traditional Holi delicacies with great joy. Another popular ritual of Holi is to consume drinks laced with intoxicating bhang. Thandai mixed with bhang and bhang pakoras are especially famous.

Later in the evening, people greet friends and relatives by visiting them and exchange sweets. Holi special get-togethers are also organized by various cultural organizations to generate a spirit of harmony and brotherhood in the society.

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