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'Lathmar
Holi' celebrated in Barsana
by Brijesh Kumar
Singh
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Women
in Nandgaon town in UP celebrating Lathmar Holi
by beating the revelers with sticks, a precursor
of Holi falling on March 11 this year.
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Barsana:
With traditional gaiety and fervour, the residents in
Barsana celebrated the 'Lathmar Holi'. The 'Lathmar Holi'
is also a curtain-raiser for Holi that is due to be celebrated
on March 11, and to participate in this unique festival,
people from far and near visit Barsana. Men and women
in traditional costumes, spraying and sprinkling colours
at each other took out a colourful procession through
the streets of the town. The revellers sang folk songs
and danced in groups to celebrate the legendary 'Rasaleela'
or romance of Lord Krishna with Radha. 'Lathmar Holi'
played at Barsana, 50 kilometres from Mathura, is unique
in a sense as women chase away men by beating them with
sticks. Of course, the men folk are beaten on a wooden
shield above their heads with which they protect themselves.
Celebrating an age-old tradition, thousands of enthusiasts
from neighbouring villages participate, singing provocative
songs to taunt women and prompt them to beat! The women
go on the offensive and use long sticks or staves called
'lathis' to thrash the men revellers, all to the amusement
of the onlookers. "We come here to play Holi in Barsana.
We play Holi in memory of the Holi played by Radha and
Krishna," said Puroshottam Goswami, a visitor from Amritsar.
"We enjoy a lot. We don't enjoy so much on any other occasion,"
added Hemant Goswami, another visitor fom Punjab.
Legend has it that Lord Krishna visited his beloved Radha's
village on this day and playfully teased her and her friends.
Taking offence at this, the women of Barsana chased him
away. Since then, men from Krishna's village, Nandgaon,
visit Barsana to play Holi in the town which has the distinction
of having the only temple dedicated to Radha in India.
Preparations
for Holi begin in Ayodhya
by Amit Kumar
Ayodhya:
The preparations for the popular Hindu spring festival
of colours 'Holi' started in an auspicious manner in the
temple city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. As
per the Hindu traditions, people in Ayodhya celebrate
the annual festival of colours in the month of 'Phalgun'
(usually February-March) as per the Hindu 'Panchang' (almanac)
to propagate social amity. At the local Hanuman Gadi temple,
priests after special worship of Lord Hanuman's deity,
take out a procession through the streets of the town
and visit various other temples in the neighbourhood.
Enroute, people in the procession spray colours and exchange
Holi greetings with others. "The locals and eminent priests
gather and all of them together carry out a procession
dedicated to Lord Hanuman and play 'Holi' with each other,"
observed Mahant Shri Gyandas, a priest, Hanuman Gadi Temple.
As per Hindu almanac, Holi falls on March 11 this year.
Holi is said to be a festival of joy, mirth and buoyancy,
which is celebrated to herald the spring season when nature,
casting off the winter gloom, looks at its best.
- Mar 7, 2009
