The Fagu festival or Holi is being celebrated in mainly hilly areas of the
country with people smearing red vermilion powder and throwing color and
water-filled balloons at each other Tuesday.
The biggest festival of colours in Nepal and other parts of South Asia,
Holi begins on the eighth day of the new moon in the month of Falgun and
ends with the burning of the 'Chir', which is installed earlier, on the
full moon day. People in Nepal, India and around the world smear colors at
each others face and exchange greetings during Holi celebrations.
A two-day affair, the festival is celebrated in the hilly areas including
Kathmandu valley on the first day and in the Terai region on the second.
The festival revolves around a mythology of demon king Hiranya Kashyap who
ordered his sister Holika to enter a fire with his son Pralhad, a devout
follower of Lord Vishnu, in her lap so that Pralhad would stop chanting
the name of the God. The catch was that Holika wouldn't burn in the fire
because of a boon she had received from the God. But it so happened that
the fire burned Holika whereas Pralhad remained unharmed and came out of
the fire still chanting the name of the almighty.]
From then onwards, the festival is celebrated by smearing color over each
others faces in enjoyment. There is also a saying that Lord Vishnu had
told Holika that the boon she had received would be meaningless if it was
misused.
Elders believe that any premonitions can be avoided if 'Tika' made from
the ashes of the 'Chir' is put on one's forehead or kept in the house. nepalnews.com Mar 10 09
