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Holi Rituals and Traditions

 

The previous posts on Holi explored the various legends associated with this Indian festival of colors. 

Ras Leela

There is one legend that is particularly colorful and fascinating – that of Radha and Krishna’s Ras Leela. Those familiar with Indian culture know that Lord Krishna was known for his love of the Gopikas or lady shepherds. The mutual love they felt, was spiritual in nature, akin to that between a devotee or worshipper and the Lord, although it is often misrepresented as the infatuation between man and woman. Ras Leela is the famous festival of dance and song representing the abandonment with which Krishna, Radha and the other girls expressed their love for one another in the gardens of Brindavan. Krishna is said to have taken on multiple forms to be able to dance and celebrate with each of the Gopikas so none would leave disappointed. Today, the ritual of Ras Leela is re-enacted during Holi in some parts of India, symbolizing the colorful, joyous and enthralling manner in which pure love is expressed. Men and women, dressed in colorful costumes rejoice and dance to the beats of the Dholak.

 Some of the other traditions and rituals surrounding Holi are – 

-On the eve of Holi, Holika Dahan takes place, representing the destruction of the evil Holika, Hiranyakashyap’s sister. Bonfires are lit on streets and in some places, people burn the effigy of Holika, and rejoice in the symbolic victory of good over evil.

– Fire or Agni has great significance in Indian culture. An inherent part of many Hindu rituals, it is believed that the heat from the flames and the embers have a positive bio-physical impact, yet to be fully explained by modern Science. As people go around the fire, dancing and celebrating, they no doubt, inadvertently reap some of those benefits.

– Early the next day, the morning of Holi, people wear white clothes and leave their homes with buckets of colored water. Some use Pitchkaris or long syringes that are used to splash colored water. Powdered colors are equally popular.

– They meet on streets, in parks, in public areas and temple grounds – eager to smear each other with splashes of color and muddy water. Children engage in playing pranks and this is one day when you could get away with almost anything!

– Bhang, an intoxicating drink, is mixed with other beverages and consumed. This eliminates any remaining ounce of inhibition in the celebrations.

-After a full day of outdoor celebrations, pranks and ‘color splashing’, people go back home to wash up, offer prayers and then visit friends and relatives, exchanging home made sweets, gifts and other treats.

– Holi is also the time when the equivalent of spring cleaning takes place. People clear out clutter and redecorate their homes.

 Holi is less than a week away. How will you and your family celebrate this year? Tell us in the comments section below. What is your favorite part of Holi?

 No matter where you are, and how you celebrate, be sure to keep in mind its spiritual, cultural and social significance.

  Holi offers us the opportunity to celebrate life in all its shades.

 So, here’s wishing you colorful Holi.

The spirit of Holi – The stories and significance

Love. Fertility. Harvest. The onset of spring. If there is any festival that represents the true spirit of all of these aspects and bundles them in one joyful package of color and festivities, it surely is Holi – the Indian festival celebrated in the lunar month Phalguni, which usually falls in early or mid March.

Holi is considered an ancient festival, dating back to the 7th century, perhaps earlier. It finds mention in the Sanskrit drama Ratnaval and other Sanskrit literary and religious works such as Dashakumar Charit and Garud Puran.

When Cupid crossed the line

Holi is often referred to as the cupid festival. Quite ironically. Kama, the Indian equivalent of Cupid, was believed to have been assigned the task of disturbing Lord Shiva’s meditation, so he could give Parvathi a son who would save the world. Kama attempted to lure Shiva into carnal temptation and as a result became the victim of Shiva’s wrath. Furious on being disturbed, Lord Shiva burnt Kama to ashes with his third eye. Later, on the request of Kama’s wife Rathi, Shiva softened and granted him a partial life, one without physical form. This is one of the stories associated with Holi and the one most commonly told in the southern parts of India during the Kaman Pandigai or Kama Dahanam which are other names of Holi.

Good vanquishes evil, again

The other popular story associated with Holi is that of the young prince Prahlad and his aunt Holika. Prahlad was the son of the arrogant King Hiranyakashyap. Prahlad defied his father by praying to Lord Vishnu, whom he believed to be the all-powerful God. Hiranyakashyap on the other hand was boastful of his own supremacy since he had acquired the boon of not being killed by anyone in any of the three worlds. When he saw that his own son questioned his infallibility, he ordered his sister Holika to kill the young boy. Holika attempted to kill Prahlad by burning him in fire, but it was she who was killed instead, while the Lord saved Prahlad.

 The significance of Agni or fire is evident in many of the legends associated with Holi and so bonfires are an integral part of Holi celebrations everywhere. Fire represents the sustenance and victory of good over evil.

So, while it appears to be an uninhibited and joyful, even frivolous celebration of life on the surface, Holi, in fact, is an occasion with deep spiritual and philosophical significance. Not unlike many other Indian festivals that appear to be a mixture of meaningless rituals at first. Only deeper examination reveals the higher truth that drives them.

Coming up… some Holi rituals, Lord Krishna’s Ras Leela and other stories. 

Holi – Celebrating colors, harvest and life!

How would you like to be smeared with a splash of rainbow-colored water and powder from head to toe before you even realize what’s happening? Not your idea of a perfect day is it? But, if you thought that being the victim of a practical joke is the last thing anyone would ever want, you probably haven’t heard of Holi. The Indian festival of colors. 

Colors = Life! 

This popular Indian festival represents the successful winter harvest and the coming of Spring or Vasanth. This is one day when Indians across the country, especially Hindus, celebrate life in all its vibrant hues, abandoning inhibitions. 

The Holi festival celebrates the spring season. But it is also symbolic of the way Lord Krishna engaged in a playful celebration of life itself with the beautiful Gopikas (woman cowherds) of Brindavan or Gokul (the gardens where they herded the cows)- singing, dancing and surrendering to love in its purest, divine form. There are several other historical and mythological stories also associated with the origins and significance of Holi. 

 

Family Fun Fest!

Today, Holi is a day when families in India come together, exchange delicacies, sweet dishes and gifts, smear each other with color(gulaal powder) and just have a good time. Getting intoxicated with bhang, holding Matka or Earthen-pot breaking competitions, playing pranks have all come to be associated with this joyous festival that people of all ages enjoy and look forward to. Even if you haven’t experienced it yourself, you can easily get a feel of the spirit of the occasion from numerous Bollywood films. If you live far away from family or friends, don’t forget to send free Holi ecards from our bright and cheerful collection created specially for the occasion.

Some of our upcoming posts will explore the origins of this vibrant Indian festival, the rituals associated with it and other aspects. Holi falls on March 11 2009. So, you still have time to plan a celebration with friends and family. The only question is – are you ready to get your hands (and possibly your outfit, your face and your whole body) dirty?!!

St. Patrick’s Day – Origins, Legends and Traditions

How will you commemorate this St. Patrick’s day? Will you enjoy New York’s Fifth Avenue parade, which is the nation’s largest and most popular event? Or use the occasion as a legitimate excuse to hit one of the many Irish pubs in your city? Perhaps, like the rest of the US, you will wear Green. Do you know how these traditions came to be followed and which of the St Patrick’s day legends are even true? Read on to find out

 

– St. Patrick’s Day marks the death of Ireland’s patron saint in 461 AD. After being snatched from his family, captured and enslaved for several years, the young Maewyn, experienced a closeness with God. Later, a vision helped him realize his higher calling – to convert Pagans to Christianity. He went about this mission for over 30 years, building schools, churches and monasteries in Ireland, converting the country to the Christian faith.

– Folklore has it that he rid Ireland of snakes. However, Ireland is not known to have housed any snakes. The reference, some believe, is to Pagans, whom St. Patrick set out to convert. 

– Another legend mentions his use of the three-leafed shamrock to represent the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The shamrock has come to be considered as the symbol representing St. Patrick’s Day. Its green color is perhaps the reason behind people wearing green on this day. Or maybe the green leaf denotes the advent of spring, which is only a few days away. 

– In the US, St. Patrick’s Day was first publicly celebrated in Boston in the year 1737. The Charitable Irish Society organized the first parade. 

– The traditional Irish meal originally comprised of boiled bacon and potatoes. 

– When Ireland’s potato famine forced the Irish to make other countries their home, they brought along some traditions and made up new ones as time went by. 

– The traditional meal too was replaced by other substitutes. If you were to pop into an Irish American kitchen on St Patrick’s day, you might be treated to a sumptuous meal corn beef or beef slow cooked with cabbage.  

 – St Patrick’s Day is one of the most eagerly awaited holidays for several reasons. Not the least significant of them is the fact that, after attending church, people hit the pubs to down beer and ale, celebrating the feast of St. Patrick. 

According to one study, conducted by BIGresearch, there will be a decline in St Patrick’s Day celebrations spending this year. People will spend on average $ 3.00 less than they did in 2008 on food, festivities and beverages to celebrate this holiday. 

Well, one thing you don’t have to worry about spending on is on St Patrick’s Day ecards. Like all our other categories, these animated ecards are free and ready to be sent out to your friends and family on the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day. If you want to make your own greeting cards and print them out, you can do that too with our Printable Cards section.

Got Free Ecards make over

Do you like our new avatar?

If you visited gotfreecards.com recently you probably noticed that we have been hard at work! Yep! We’re working on creating a better, friendlier website that you will find easier to use than ever before.

We are really excited about these changes that will save you time and make sending ecards even more of a breeze.

If you have been visiting us for some time, then you know that in just a few short months, we added several new features to our site – including the event reminder, printable cards, post cards and famous quotes. On our blog we bring you tips and gift ideas for different occasions and updates about our latest features and ecards. And of course, we are constantly updating our large selection of free ecards and post cards with wonderful new themes. You can rate, bookmark or add our site to your myspace page – all of which will help us understand what you like about us and where we can improve.

So, go ahead, tell us. How do you like our new look? And what new features would you like to see gotfreecards.com bring you in the coming months?

April Fool’s Day History

      One of only a handful of holidays commemorated around the world is, perhaps surprisingly, April Fool’s Day.  Every year, on the first day of April, people from every country and all walks of life come together in a tradition of playing pranks on one another—from the small-scale and relatively benign, to larger and (in some views) mean-spirited practical jokes.

      But what a lot of people may not realize is that April Fool’s Day has a real, historical tradition behind it.  Accounts differ, but the most popular belief is that the holiday came into being shortly after adoption of the Gregorian calendar.  People who hadn’t yet adapted to the times, and still lived according to the outdated Julian Calendar, were called April Fools. 

      While the first of April is usually associated with friends and co-workers playing jokes on one another, many times, throughout the years, larger hoaxes have been put on by organizations.  In the 1950s, for instance, a television station announced that Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa had finally collapsed; and in the mid 1990s, in one of the more notorious April Fool’s Day jokes, restaurant chain Taco Bell claimed to have purchased Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.  Both occurrences—and countless others like them—prompted scores of panicked phone calls and written letters from members of the public.

      April Fool’s Day is by no means the world’s only prank-day holiday, but it has, for perhaps unexplainable reasons, emerged as the most popular one.

Get well soon ecards

A few years ago, I came down with a horrible flu-like bug, and while I called off work and went to the doctor, I didn’t think to call any of my friends or family.

A week later, after feeling better, I went to a little coffee shop where my friends and I congregated.  When they asked why they hadn’t seen me in a week, and I told them how sick I’d been, there was shock all around—my friends had assumed that I just decided to shut myself off for a while.  But finding out that the real reason I was gone, everyone felt badly about not calling, and not coming to visit me.  I laughed it off, said it was no big deal, and the whole matter was forgotten.

Months later, I got bronchitis, and I was out of commission for a couple of days.  This time, you had to stand in line outside my door.  All my friends showed up at some point with soup, vitamins, cold medicine and good wishes.  And though their visits didn’t make me feel physically better, I definitely was touched by the gesture.

When we’re not feeling well, knowing others are keeping us in their thoughts can be a big lift.  And today’s, when practically everyone has Internet access at home, a Get well soon ecard from gotfreecards.com can do just the trick—especially if you want to send your sympathy, without risking catching that flu yourself!

All Occasions

On this blog, we’re always writing about all the different occasions to commemorate by sending a free e-card.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, e-cards are always a convenient and cost-effective way of showing people, on holidays, that you’re thankful for their presence in your life.

            But you don’t have to wait for the next holiday to roll around on the calendar to take advantage of our free e-cards here at gotfreecards.com.  We have tons of birthday cards, of course, along with cards to say “Thanks” and to send your good wishes to that friend or loved one who’s been under the weather lately.

            Not only that, but even if you’re just looking for a way to let someone know how much you care, you should check out one of our “Friends” cards, or one of our quickly-growing categories of knock-knock jokes.  From the incredibly clever, to the just downright silly, there’s a joke for every taste and temperament.

            Feel like personalizing a card?  Or maybe commemorating one of the holidays we haven’t gotten around to designing for yet?  Click on “printable cards” at the top of the gotfreecards.com homepage, and just follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen (or see my earlier blog on the subject). 

            So you see, no matter the holiday or occasion, gotfreecards.com is your best spot for free, thoughtful, and funny ways to say that you care!

Birthday History

Ever wonder why we celebrate birthdays?  I did, too, and so I did some research, and what I found is pretty interesting.

            Celebrating birthdays, like many contemporary traditions, has its roots in Christian customs.  Centuries and Centuries ago, after human beings figured out how to follow lunar cycles, it wasn’t long before the first calendar, as we would recognize it, was developed. 

            Shortly thereafter, early Christians, who regularly struggled with pagans and those of other faiths for dominance in the societal limelight, got it in their heads that on the anniversary of a person’s birth, the pagans would send evil spirits to torment that person. 

            The solution, which probably made some sort of sense at the time, was to throw a huge party, in the birthday boy or girl’s honor, in the hopes that all the positive energy and good-will would drive away the evil spirits.

            Whatever their reasons were, I’m just glad that birthday celebrations have developed into what they are today; and I’m certainly glad I don’t have to worry about demons getting me on my birthday, too.  Remembering to write all those Thank-You cards is enough trouble!

Valentine’s Day – What not to do

Are you one of those people who make elaborate Valentine’s Day plans? Are you easily disappointed if everything does not go according to plan? Do you intentionally take it easy, not bothering to do anything special just to prove a point? Or is it just another day to you? 

Whatever you choose to do this Valentine’s Day, it might be a good idea to avoid doing certain things on this day.  

Don’t spring nasty surprises on your loved one

This is not the time to announce that you are quitting your job to write a book or that you have to cancel an upcoming vacation or that you may be going bankrupt soon. Unless it’s an emergency that can’t wait another day, resist announcing bad news on Feb 14! You have 364 other days to do it, after all. 

Don’t blow your budget

Avoid overspending, unless you have the key to a hidden treasure or are related to an Arabian prince. This might be tough to do if you’re in the habit of having Valentine’s dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town and splurging on the biggest rock available. However, if you know for a fact that you might spend the better part of the remaining year paying off your credit card debt, well, maybe you should reconsider downgrading to a nice, but less fancy restaurant and maybe a gift that you can afford.  

Don’t bring up pending issues

Maybe he forgot to pick up the dry cleaning….again.  Maybe you had a big fight last evening. Maybe, you are worried about losing your job. Whatever else may be on you mind, try pushing it away for at least a few hours and have a pleasant day or evening. Problems, issues, fights and the economy will still be here when you wake up on Feb 15. So, why let them ruin the one day you have been looking forward to? Our free Sorry and Love you ecards can help you make up just in time. 

Don’t stress yourself out

Holidays and special occasions aren’t meant to be stressful, but who would have guessed?

It’s ok if you haven’t been able to buy the perfect gift, couldn’t get the dinner reservation you wanted,  or if you are not feeling well enough to go out. Bottom line – don’t worry that you won’t have the Valentine’s Day of your dream. That will only make it worse. Make the best of whatever you have and enjoy yourselves no matter what you do or where you are. 

Don’t let pressure or guilt take over

I suggest turning off the TV at least a week before the big day. Switching channels during commercials won’t work because you’re bound to encounter them some time and they have this way of making you long for something you can’t afford or don’t even want. Same goes for friends, cousins and coworkers who go on and on about what they’re getting/giving/doing. If you feel pressured to match their lifestyle or to beat their budget, start running. The farther the better.  This is one time of the year when just listening to someone else’s plans can make you want to do crazy stuff either out of guilt or peer pressure. Don’t give in to either. It’s your day to spend as you choose with your loved one/s. And don’t let anything lead you into thinking otherwise. 

Don’t overlook the simple stuff

Sometimes all you need to express you love are simple things like a hand-written love note or a free Valentine’s Day ecard. Check out all our ideas for spending quality time with your loved one on Valentine’s day and don’t ignore the simple, beautiful gifts that cost nothing, yet create memories that last a lifetime.