“Holi Special English”

Today is Holi, so let's learn English while celebrating Holi. 

1) Holi is a festival of colors falls in the month of March.

2) Popularly, it is known as Phagua or festival of colors or Dola Purnima (in West Bengal and Odisha).

3) It indicates the triumph of good over bad.

4) People celebrate it as a two-day festival; first day as "Holika Dahan" and second day as colorful "Holi". 

5) At "Holika Dahan", they burn a heap of sticks, straws and co-dung cakes lying in the mid of streets in the late evening or night or it’s a bonfire on the night before Holi.

6) Women of the houses perform different types of rituals at 'Holika Dahan" according to their culture and tradition.

7) Celebration of Holi related to the Hiranyakashyap, Prahlad and Holika.

8) There is a big story behind the celebration of Holi festival. There was a Prahlad (son of Hiranyakashyap) used to worship Lord Vishnu and he was called a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. However, he was forced to worship his own father, but he denied. His father became very angry and decided to kill his own son by various means. One of the means was killing his son through his sister Holika by sitting in the fire as she had got a boon to remain unharmed from fire. Unfortunately, due to the blessings of Lord Vishnu, Prahlad was saved and Holika (his Aunt) burnt to death. From that time, people celebrate Holika Dahan to be healthy and happy by burning their sins, removing the evil powers and all the negativity. In the next morning, they celebrate colorful Holi to welcome happiness and prosperity.

6) People celebrate a colorful Holi by playing colors with friends, family members and neighbors. 

7) It is the happiest festival especially for the kids as they get new clothes and delicious recipes.

8) Their faces become colorful with colored powders and they enjoy throwing and applying of colored water and powders on friends and family members.

9) They start making stock of colors, balloons, water guns, and other necessary things to enjoy Holi.

10) Brightly colored powders are the mainstay of Holi, during which men, women, and children carry powders and liquid colors to throw and smear on the clothes and faces of neighbors and relatives. 

11) While dry powder colors are called “gulal,” colors mixed with water are called “rang.” 

12) Tables with bags of colors are lined up as friends and family members await each other to play Holi. 

13) It’s a day to celebrate and loud music, drinks, sweets, delicious foods and fun-filled chatter are all essential elements of the celebrations.

14) Squirting colored water, throwing colored water balloons, and throwing fistfuls of powdered colors at friends, family is a part of the festival.

15) It is a significant festival shows love, brotherhood and unity among people.

16) Holi is celebrated with lots of fun and frolic activities all over the country.

17) The most enjoyable thing at Holi is that people enjoy preparing and eating gujiya, laddu and variety of sweets & desserts.

18) On this auspicious day, people visit their friends and relatives with colors, sweets and gifts to celebrate the day together.