The holi is the festival of celebration of love and peace it would be a wonderful experience to explain the true meaning of holi to children. The festival of colors is a favorite among Indians and abroad as well, while the students across the country enjoy a holiday from school, but as parents, they must articulate the true message of holi rather than letting it pass as another “day off”.
Holi In Mythology
It is widely belief that Holi was celebrated to mark the triumph of Lord Vishnu over the evil king Hiranyakashipu. The latter, having attained special powers, was nearly impossible to vanquish. The vicious king had spread terror and reigned supreme across the lands. His son Prahlad was opposed to his father’s improprieties, choosing instead to follow and be a disciple of Vishnu’s. All too aware of Hiranyakashipu’s antics, Lord Vishnu had to accost the king at dusk, in the guise of a half-lion, and defeat him. It is this victory of good over bad, that Holi celebrates, along with the burning of Prahlad’s equally evil aunt Holika, who, despite her trickery of burning Prahlad at a pyre while wearing a protective cloak herself, succumbed to the fire when her cloak flew off her and covered Prahlad instead.
While some children may not fully appreciate the cultural backdrop and specifics of the history of Holi, as parents you can certainly talk about the essence of the festival. The overriding principles of Holi are a celebration of love and peace. As such, it is seen as an appropriate time not just to praise great relationships but also to repair damaged ones. It would be wonderful if parents could explain this true meaning of Holi to the children by getting them to make amends with friends, they argued with, saying sorry to someone they had a falling out with, and rekindling special bonds and relationships that were important to them but fell by the wayside owing to silly squabbles and differences.
While it is crucial to know the genesis of a festival, perhaps even more important is to understand and appreciate its real-world and modern-day significance. From that standpoint, Holi is considered asone festival that captures the authentic spirit of friendship and love and should be celebrated as such.
The wonderful fact about our many Indian festivals is their resemblance in embracing a message of peace, love, and harmony. Going forward we have an opportunity to focus more on the message and less on the wasteful and potentially harmful and showy realization of these significant days of the calendar. If parents and adults can set an aware and mature example for children, they will naturally emulate and follow.
