Mathura, the hometown of Holi celebration...!

The Holi festival has a cultural significance among various Hindu traditions of the Indian subcontinent
. It is the festive day to end and rid oneself of past errors, to end conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or forgive debts, as well as deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the start of spring, an occasion for people to enjoy the changing seasons and make new friends.

Holi is a popular ancient Indian festival, also known as the "Festival of Love", the "Festival of Colors" and the "Festival of Spring". The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha Krishna. It also signifies the triumph of good over the evil, as it celebrates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu. It originated and is predominantly celebrated in India and Nepal but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the diaspora from the Indian subcontinent.

In spite of being such a colorful and gay festival, there are various aspects of Holi which makes it so significant for our lives. Though they might not be so apparent but a closer look and a little thought will reveal the significance of Holi in more ways than meets the eyes. Ranging from socio-cultural, religious to biological there is every reason why we must heartily enjoy the festival and cherish the reasons for its celebrations.

So when, its time for Holi, please don't hold yourself back and enjoy the festival to the hilt by participating with full enthusiasm in every small tradition related to the festival.

VISIT MATHURA-VRINDAVAN ONCE AND I BET YOU WILL WISH TO GO ONCE AGAIN AND AGAIN EVERY YEAR!!

Origin

The region of Braj, which encompasses the three towns of Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana, was the childhood home of Lord Krishna. The young boy was jealous of the fact that Radha was fair, while he was dark. His foster mother, Yashoda, advised him to smear his face with gulal and do the same to Radha so there won’t be any difference in their complexion. Thus began the tradition of Holi celebrations in the region.

Mathura Holi is certainly an experience for a lifetime for the believers. It is in the suburbs of Mathura that the love life of Krishna and Radha sprouted and grew. Legends say that Krishna was jealous of her fairness and used to complain about his ‘dusky’ face to his mother. It was only to balance the skin tones of each other that he used to throw colors at Radha and paint her face with multiple colors. From his village Nandgaon, Krishna and his friends used to come to Barsana – Radha’s village to color Radha and her friends. The girls used to beat the guys, playfully though, with sticks. Source:- The Times Of India

Like every other Radha-Krishna Leela, this also became a tradition and has only evolved to be a more colorful and wild Lathmar Holi. Also, Mathura ki Holi celebrations start a week in advance and continue till the final day of the celebrations.

On the day of Holi, the Banke Bihari Temple witnesses the grandest festivities – the kind of Holi everyone is accustomed to with people throwing and smearing gulal as well as coloured water at each other. Throughout the city, Holi celebrations are accompanied with Bhajans and other spiritual songs blasting at full volume.

Widows Are Seen Breaking Stereotypes on Holi in Vrindavan

Another notable event to witness in the town is the Widows’ Holi. In Hindu culture, widows are often forced to wear austere, white clothes and avoid celebrations. However, 2-3 years ago, a group of

Source:- Indian Express
widows defied all customs by indulging in the Holi festivities at Pagal Baba Widow Ashram. Since then, the celebrations have caught on, and now every year, widows throng Gopinath Temple to play Holi. The temple’s gates open around 12.00 pm, so before attending the Phoolon Wali Holi, you must come here.

You Can Indulge in Bhaang and Gujiyas At Dwarkadheesh Temple in Mathura Traditional Holi celebration food items..

On the day of Holi, the biggest festival takes place in Mathura at Dwarkadheesh Temple. As early as 7:00 am, you can head to Vishram Ghat to see the process of Bhang making by the priests. You can even have a glass yourself, if not more. The temple gates open at 10:00 am for the festivities. The crowd can be seen outside the gate well in advance coloring each other, singing traditional Holi songs, beating drums, and relishing the traditional Holi sweet, i.e. Gujiya. The scale of Holi here is smaller as compared to the Banke-Bihari temple, but the atmosphere is much friendlier. Priests can be seen playing Dhols, and you can join the dancing crowd inside the temple complex. Here, women are seen in large numbers inside the temple playing with Holi colors.

Thousand years of history, mythological legends, stories of goodness prevailing over the evil and that 6-year-old neighbor kid wildly throwing water balloons at you – if this is your idea of Holi, I dare you to be a part of the crazy Holi celebrations of Barsana, Vrindavan, and Braj in Mathura.

It is on the ghats of Mathura – the birthplace of Krishna where Holi is celebrated in the wildest, yet
colorful and sane revelry. With sticks, shields, colors, and canons of water, Holi celebration here is a must-have experience.

I would like to end my blog on Holi, just by saying that it is the belief of Indians that this festival rejuvenates the energy and prosperity of the arrival of Spring. It is celebrated with colors to removal the evils of discriminations prevailing in society such as rich-poor, fair-dark, caste-creed, and establish equality and brotherhood among each other. LOVING AND RESPECTING EACH OTHER IS ACTUALLY THE MOST DIGNIFIED AND BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM OF INDIANS IN EVERY MEAN OF THEIR FESTIVAL..