Mar 20 2008
the joy of colors
Holi hai! - The joy of colors
By Bivash Mukherjee 2008-3-21
COME March, and much of Asia is swathed in radiant colors. Spring is upon us, and men and nature get along in an unmatched joie de vivre. It is only natural to welcome it with a daub - or bombardment - of colors.
This weekend marks not only Western Easter, but the more colorful and exuberant Hindu festival of Holi - drenched with crimson, purple, pink, yellow, green and blue.
Springtime is first kicked off by the Chinese with Lunar New Year revelry, followed by the Japanese Setsubun when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. The Koreans mark it with outdoor fun during Samjiri, while Pakistanis take to the skies with their wondrous kite-flying during Basant. The Thais splurge with water in what we know as Songkran.
Much of India and Nepal will go wild this weekend with their riotous play of colors for Holi. And the region’s expatriate community in Shanghai will soak it in with a gala at the Dulwich College grounds in Jinqiao, Pudong, tomorrow morning.
Holi, the Hindu festival of myriad colors, is celebrated on a full moon night in spring with a frenzy of colors, songs, dance, general merrymaking, eve-teasing and often intoxication from various substances.
It’s a carnival of epic proportions that breaks down caste and gender differences, at least for a day. It thrives on banter, frivolity, quirkiness and acting out - no wonder it’s a joy.
Holi’s origins are shrouded in myths and legends. The most popular folklore features Lord Krishna cavorting with his many comely companions in tales that have been told down the ages in paintings, music, movies and classical literature.
The leitmotif, however, has always been the same: life, rebirth, hope.
Traditionally, Holi lasts for two days. The first is an evening of bonfires fueled by a heady mixture of dry wood, logs, cow dung cakes and ghee (clarified butter). As the flames soar and light the night sky, they signify the death of winter and purging of past deeds.
The next day is an orgy of merry abandonment. In polite circles, it’s celebrated with a small, artful and symbolic daub on cheeks and foreheads - but most circles aren’t polite. Sometimes indelible colors are forcefully applied and hurled.
Men and women dressed in white head out to paint the town red - literally - smearing neighbors, relatives and passersby with gulal powder of colored talc and colored water.
Streets and lanes are packed with anonymous revelers in masks of paint, funny, weird, and outlandish. The boldest of them, usually children, are dyed with sticky colors that can sometimes take a week to wash out.
It’s color, color everywhere. Almost everything in sight - walls and trees as well - is awash in a different color. Shouts of “Holi hai,” (”It’s Holi”) rend the air and all (almost) excesses are forgiven.
The revelry eventually calms down later in the day with a swim in the sea, river, pond or even an impromptu bathtub set up for the occasion.
Evenings are rip-roarious outpourings of songs and dances and mischievous repartee that often follow a drinking session. Even “bad” language - earthy, ribald and sometimes offensive - is excused or ignored. It may take the form of waggish poetry and folk songs.
Like Lord Krishna pinching the ladies, young men too engage in playful “eve-teasing” and this sometimes turns rough and rapacious, and can even turn ugly.
Each province and region celebrates in its own way, borrowing from local mythology, customs and centuries-old scriptures and temple art. But the ethos of exuberance and a resurgent spirit is common to all. Revelers can mask their troubles, act out and create a make-believe world of excitement, energy and hope.
In some ways, the festival is really a study of colors and perfect metaphors for life. Their seductive charm appeals to all and, understandably, love blooms though in some areas women stay indoors to avoid the excesses that goes in its name.
For the farm hands across the vast plains of India, a good harvest is another reason for their boisterous mood. Poets and saints have long revered the sons of the soil and Holi also becomes a ritual of thanksgiving.
We are assured that life goes on.
Holi hai! - The joy of colors by — COME March, and much of Asia is swathed in radiant colors. Spring is upon us, and men and nature get along in an unmatched joie de vivre. It is only natural to welcome it with a daub - or bombardment - of colors.
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PermalLink URL for this article:
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=352870
http://file.shanghaidaily.com/pdf/2008/2008-03/2008-03-21/C4.pdf
