This festival, which was celebrated in a spirited manner in the valley until a few years ago, has recently started to become more civilized due to the active involvement of the police.
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The festival of Fagu Purnima, or Holi, is being celebrated with joy and happiness in the Himalayan and hilly districts today. This festival is celebrated every year on the full moon day of Falgun.
It is an ancient tradition to celebrate the festival of Fagu, which brings a message of mutual harmony and goodwill with the arrival of spring. This festival, which was celebrated in a spirited manner in the valley until a few years ago, has recently become civilized due to the active involvement of the police.
The practice of throwing colours and lolas against the will of those walking on the streets, especially for work, has almost stopped. Even on the day before the Fagu festival, no dirty water was seen splashed on the streets of the capital. Especially young women were made to feel psychologically unable to go out by filling lolas with water a week in advance. Rama KC, who came to work in the private sector from Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur to work in Putalisadak, said that she was able to walk easily on the day before the Fagu festival this year.
On the occasion of this festival, people present in Basantapur in Kathmandu make the environment colorful by ritually burning the Chir buried there with musical instruments. The flags placed on the Chir are taken by the people with the belief that they will be used for medicinal purposes, and the ashes of the Chir are applied to the body to ward off evil.
On the eighth day of the month of Falgun, in front of the Gaddi Baithak in Basantapur, Fagu begins after worshiping the Chir, which is decorated with colorful flags. Tonight, in Tundikhel, there is a tradition of feeding a demon named 'Gurumapa' with ten pathi of rice and the meat of a cow brought from Itumbahal and pouring it into a stream called 'Jadhu' inside the military hospital.
In the Treta Yuga, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, with the intention of killing his son Prahlad, a devotee of Vishnu, made his sister Holika, who had received a boon from Brahma that she could not be touched by fire, enter the burning fire with Prahlad. The story of Holika herself being burnt to ashes but the devotee Prahlad could not be touched by fire is associated with this festival. Since then, it is believed that the tradition of playing Holi (Phagu) has been going on to commemorate the killing of Holika, who has become a symbol of the sinful tendency to misuse power. .
Similarly, in the Dwaparyuga, the demon Putana, who was sent by Kansa to kill Lord Krishna, was killed when she tried to suck her poisoned breast. The tradition of burning her by the people of Vraja to celebrate the Phagu festival is also mentioned in the scriptures, informed Prof. Toyaraj Nepal, a theologian and former chairman of the Nepal Panchang Nirikh Bikash Samiti.
Since well-prepared colors and abir prevent skin diseases, playing Phagu using such colors destroys the phlegm produced in the body during the winter. The Ayurvedic importance of this festival is also explained by Dr. Vanshdeep Sharma Kharel, Head of the Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine, Ayurveda Promotion Branch.
The government has been giving public holidays on the occasion of the Phagu festival since tradition. In the Terai region, this festival is celebrated the day after the full moon. This year too, Holi is being celebrated in the Terai on Tuesday. The government has declared Tuesday a public holiday in the Terai districts.
On the occasion of this festival, there has been a decrease in the number of disorders such as drinking intoxicants for fun, using chemicals that have adverse effects on the body, and even hitting vehicles. On this day, groups of men and women roam around their area from morning to evening, especially eating food mixed with cannabis and dyeing it with various colors, and dancing and singing to the accompaniment of musical instruments.
During this festival, the Thakalis dress up in colorful clothes and gather with their families to hold a dart throwing competition. During this festival, which lasts for seven days, brothers and relatives gather every day and enjoy eating sweets.
How is the festival of colors celebrated in which country?
The Phagu festival is also celebrated in Nepal and India in other countries in an original way. In Italy, this festival is celebrated as 'Beliaconones', where people splash fragrant water on each other and play with special colorful ornaments made of grass. In China, this festival is celebrated for 15 days as 'Chwez'. New clothes and ornaments are worn during this festival.
In America, this festival is celebrated as 'Hobo', where people dress up in various funny costumes and organize competitions and prizes are given to the winners.
Similarly, in Sri Lanka and Java in Indonesia, fire is worshipped, in Myanmar and Thailand, water is worshipped, donations are made to monks in Buddhist temples, in Japan and Sumatra in Indonesia, new crops are welcomed with dances and songs, in Yunnan, China, the god Dionysus is worshipped and danced, and in Egypt, humor, humor and dance are celebrated.
Although celebrated under different names, the tradition of playing Fagu is found in many countries. This festival is celebrated with the main objective of promoting mutual harmony and social unity everywhere.
