The festival of colors Holi started in Nepal on Tuesday.
With the erection of 32 feet in height Chir — traditional system of erecting a lingo (bamboo pole) covered with ‘Chir’ (pieces of different colors cloths) at the Basantapur Durbar Square, at 7:15 am auspicious time marks the official beginning of the week-long colorful festival.
According to the legend, Lord Krishna was enjoying when he in his youth, made merriment with the Gopees (the milk-maids) of Brindaban. The “Chir” which is decorated with strips of cloth of various colours is supposed to symbolizes the garments of the Gopees which Lord Krishna hung on the Kadam Tree while Gopees were taking a nude bath in the Jamuna River.
The festival of colours, which begins officially after the erection of “Chir” (a three tiers of umbrella-shaped covering decorated with hangings and variegated colours the bamboo poles) characterized with multicoloured fabrics at Hanumandhoka and Basantapur in Kathmandu on the eighth day of the bright half of the month of Falgun (March) and lasts for a week after burning the “Chir” officially.
According to the astrological view point, beginning of Holi signifies the end of winter season and start of spring season.
During the Holi festival, people celebrate with smearing colors and drenching each other.
People in hilly districts of Nepal will observe Holi on March 9 while people in Terai will celebrate it next day.
However, even Holi is a weeklong festival, these days people generally observe only one day due busy and other factors. Generally people observe on the last day that falls this year on 9th March Monday.
Holi is commended as a celebration of compromise as revelers leave negative sentiments like outrage and enmity aside and put hues on one another’s appearances. People from various walks-of-life celebrate Holi with various enjoyable mood.
The festival turns the entire landscapes into vivid colour like: yellow, red, and blue and their innumerable combinations and variations.
