March 28, 15:05

Primopiano

In India, Holi is celebrated, a triumph of color

Ancient Hindu festival that involves coloring your body

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

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Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in india © ANSA / EPA

The celebrations of Holi begin today, the Indian national holiday of the day of colors, which coincides with the full moon of Phalghuna, the month of March and marks the transition from winter to spring.

The custom of this ancient Hindu festival that lasts two days is to sprinkle the body with colored powders and also color that of the people and animals that it meets in the streets, even with jets of colored water.

The evening before the start of the festival, groups of people gather around huge bonfires to symbolically burn Holika (the devil), with songs, dances, drum rolls and cheerful celebrations.

According to tradition, Holi, comparable to Carnival for its joyful and playful spirit, commemorates an episode taken from Hindu mythology: the legend of Prince Prahlada, devoted to Vishnu whom his father, an impious and cruel king, tried several times to kill, jealous of the religious feeling of the child.

Tradition has it that even the king's sister, Holika, tried, being immune to fire, to get rid of the young prince by dragging him into a huge pyre.

Protected, however, by Vishnu, Prahlada came out of the stake unscathed and forgave his ferocious aunt, who died charred by his own hand in the pyre.

Despite the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic tourism in India has regained momentum, with domestic flights and hotels sold-out for the weekend, on the occasion of the Holi

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