Best Cities To Visit In Holi!
Holi, also known as the “Festival of Colours”, is one of the most exciting festivals celebrated in India. Holi is celebrated in almost every region in India. Originally a festival to celebrate the good harvest and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic memory of Hindu mythology. It is said that Krishna, who was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion, painted her till the score.
No one can say with certainty which region of the country celebrates the best Holi. It totally depends on what kind of experience you want to have.
1. Lathmar Holi, Barsana and Nandgaon
Holi, also known as the “Festival of Colours”, is one of the most exciting festivals celebrated in India. Holi is celebrated in almost every region in India. Originally a festival to celebrate the good harvest and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic memory of Hindu mythology. It is said that Krishna, who was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion, painted her till the score.
No one can say with certainty which region of the country celebrates the best Holi. It totally depends on what kind of experience you want to have.
2. Braj ki Holi, Mathura and Vrindavan
It is strongly believed that Lord Krishna and Radha spent most of their childhood in Mathura and Vrindavan in the Braj region. Nowadays, the people of this region celebrate the festival of Holi in two unique ways.
One involves throwing flowers at each other with chanting of Radhe-Radhe.
The second type of celebration is held just a day before Holi. On this day, the famous Krishna Leela or Raas Leela is held, which is the play of Krishna’s courtship with the beautiful Radhamathura, involving himself in the festivities of the Holi festival. A few days before the main day of Holi festival. The joy and enthusiasm of the Holi festival can be seen at the Banke-Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, which hosts a week-long Holi festival celebration.
3. Basanta Utsav, Shantiniketan
The festival of Holi is celebrated at Shantiniketan in West Bengal as Basant Utsav or Spring Festival. The festival was started by the famous Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as an annual event at his Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan.
A day before Holi, people light bonfires in the night and mark the occasion as a day of victory over evil. The festival lasts for two days. The first day will see a spectacular palace procession from the royal residence to Manek Chowk in the City Palace, accompanied by decorated horses and royal bands. Later the traditional sacred fire will be lit and the effigy of Holika will be burnt.
The festival, which started with Holika Dahan, is famous for its celebration at the Jagdish Temple in Udaipur.
4. Royal Holi, Jaipur and Udaipur
The city of lakes Udaipur has its own unique way of celebrating Holi which is a wonderful experience to witness.
A day before Holi, people light bonfires in the night and mark the occasion as a day of victory over evil. The festival lasts for two days. The first day will see a spectacular palace procession from the royal residence to Manek Chowk in the City Palace, accompanied by decorated horses and royal bands. Later the traditional sacred fire will be lit and the effigy of Holika will be burnt.
The festival, which started with Holika Dahan, is famous for its celebration at the Jagdish Temple in Udaipur.
5. Shigmotsav, Goa
The festival of Holi in Goa is seen in a completely new and different avatar. Here Holi is celebrated in the form of Shigmostava. It is a 14 day long festival. Huge dance troupes perform intricate movements of folk dances on the street during the entire duration of the parade. This aspect of Holi is reflected in the number of boats that are part of the Holi parade in Goa.
Most of the festivities are mainly concentrated in Panjim, Vasco and Margao. The main Goa beaches also turn colorful on Holi as a large number of locals and tourists gather on the shores to play with colours.
Be it any part of India, Holi is probably the most common festival to be a part of. Although the style and customs of celebration vary from state to state, the spirit of the festival is constant across the globe: to spread happiness and enjoy.
