In a small cage. I knew at once that I wanted to keep him

HOLI ESSAY 7 (500 WORDS) 
Holi is very famous festival of the colours celebrated every year in the month of Phalgun by 
the people of India with big joy. It is the festival of lots of fun and frolic activities especially 
for the children who take part in the celebration a week before and lasts a week after the 
date of Holi festival. Holi festival is celebrated by the people of Hindu religion all over the 
India especially in North India in the month of March. 
There are many stories and legends behind celebrating the Holi in India for years. It is the 
festival of great importance and significance. According to the Hindu mythology, it is 
considered as Holi celebration was started a long ago from the ancient time when Holika 
was burned in the fire while trying to kill her own brother‟s son in the fire. It is considered 
as there was a demon king called Hiranyakashyap, father of little Prahlad. He had tried to 
kill his own son in the fire when Prahlad denied to worship his father as Prahlad was a 
great devotee of the Lord Vishnu. When Hiranyakashyap failed in many of his strategies to 
kill Prahlad, he ordered his own sister, Holika to sit in fire by having Prahlad in her lap as 
she was booned by the God for never getting harmed by the fire. 
However, this strategy was also became failed as little Prahlad was the devotee of the Lord 
Vishnu and he was saved by his God. Holika was died in the fire and Prahlad was saved. 
From that day, people of Hindu religion started celebrating the Holi festival every year. In 
the evening of a day before the colourful Holi, people make a heap of woods and co-dung 
cakes on the cross roads and do fire in the heap in the myth of burning Holika and 
celebrate Holika Dahan ceremony. Some people make round and round of the burning 
Holika and worship to get blessed with the prosperity and good health by burning all the 
sins and diseases in the fire. There is also a tradition in Hindu religion of burning wastes of 
the whole body massage with mustard seed paste in the fire in the myth of burning all the 
skin problems and get good health for the whole year. 
In the next morning of the Holika Dahan, people celebrate a colourful Holi by getting 
together at one place and on the roads. Colourful Holi preparations start a week before the 
main date of the Holi festival. People become highly enthusiastic especially children of the 
home who starts buying different colours a week before the date. Even they start playing 
colours with their friends, neighbours and relatives with pitchakri and small balloons. In 
the morning people start roaming to each other‟s home by having abeer and colours to 
play. They apply abeer to the forehead of each other, hug each other and celebrate eating 
various delicious dishes like gujhiya, sweets, pani puri, dahi bade, chips and so many 
other yummy dishes at each other‟s home all through the day. 
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