Rituals & celebration of Holi Festival in India is an aspect of Hindu dharma. Rituals & celebrations are an important and human component of our participation in the social and cosmic order, of our dharma. Holi, colors of festivals, is a spring celebration, the exuberant ritual of putting color and abeer at each other, not sparing any one at all. This is the variation of the common theme of spring rituals the world over. Its rational fact that on the first day of spring people need to wake up from their winter slumber.

Holi also known as festival of colours has a traditional significance of social harmony between the various classes of society. It is the day when all classes of people are free to draw all parts of society into a celebration including passers by. The celebrations of holi festival in india are usually carried out on people of different class on each other, thus representing a time for breaking down barriers.

Story Of Holi Festival
Long ago there was a king called Hiranyakashipu, who thought himself to be an omnipotent and supreme being; he was the recipient of a divine gift of immortality and believed that he alone was to be worshipped. The king had a nine-year-old son named Prahalad, who was a great follower of Lord Rama. This outraged the king, who ordered that his son be killed. The boy was put to death in various ways, but each in vain; he walked away every time chanting, "Ram, Ram, Ram."

The king remembered his sister, who was called Holika. She owned a magic orhni (scarf / mantilla) that allowed the wearer to step into a fire without getting burned. The king ordered Holika to wear the orhni and carry Prahalad into a fiery pit, where the boy would be burnt to ashes. However, God would again intervene. A strong breeze blew the orhni off Holika's head and she was the one who burned to ashes while Prahalad was miraculously saved.

An outraged King Hiranyakashipu then decided to kill Prahalad himself. However, the youngster's faith in God would again triumph. A beast with a man's body and a lion's head appeared and attacked the king. His immortality disappeared and the man-lion tore him limb from limb. The moral of the story; Prahalad's faith in God saved him; no man is bigger than God.

Celebaration
Essentially, festival of Holi means the triumph of good over evil and conquest of sensual values by spiritual values. The tender green leaves on the trees, the blossomed flowers in the gardens and the sweet calls of the Cuckoo mark the advent of a new season that is Spring (vasant). Enriching the freshness is the festival of Holi with a splurge of colours and an aura of romance all around. On festival of Holi, people are suddenly caught unawares with colours being poured from a top of the houses, bursting balloons or long pistons squirting coloured water. People in small groups are seen singing, dancing and throwing colours on each other.

Holi in Uttar Pradesh
Holi in India, and specially Uttar Pradesh is one of the most celebrated festivals. The land of Uttar Pradesh is very much diverse in the cultural terms, and this is evident in the modes of Holi celebrations across the state. Uttar Pradesh is known for its Braj Holi and Varanasi Holi. Holi in Brajbhoomi is said to be celebrated the same way today, as it was celebrated thousands years back (during Krishna's era). Similarly in Varanasi, festival of Holi is celebrated in context with Lord Shiva and Ganges. Holi is one festival when all the religious, linguistic and cultural barriers are broken. To feel the real essence of Holi, it must be celebrated in Uttar Pradesh.

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