Holi, the colorful Hindu spring Festival, is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalugna or Falguna (February – March). Talk about Holi and the first thing that comes to mind is playing with colours – throwing of colored water and colored powder on one another. Holi festival is largely associated with Lord Krishna and it said that in his childhood and teenage, Krishna played the festival with Gopas and Gopis in Vrindavan.
At Vrindavan, Mathura and other places associated with Lord Krishna, the Holi Festival begins a fortnight early and continues till the actual Holi day and includes numerous rituals and games.
Traditional Holi celebrations in Tharparkar continues 2 or 3 days. All family members gather at home. Women wear their special
Holi dandia saris on the day. Men wears their special new dresses for holi.
The first important day during Holi festival is the Holika Dahan day. In different areas it is celebrated in distinct ways. In Mithi and chachro people(specialy maharaj tribe) perform a marriage show and sing their typical songs called phaagaan in streets of the whole city in daytime. At nighttime bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that child Prahlad had when Demon Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of God Sri Hari Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable and unfathomable devotion.
After holika dahan, a chhola program is also arranged and chhola are distributed in people. The next day is the popular Holi festival or Dhulendi(mis interpreted as Dhooreli). People visit the homes of friends and relatives and play Holi with colors.
Cities are coloured at that day. faces of people would be difficult to recognize because of pakka colour. In chelhar a large tub is used, and people are thrown in it.
In chhor and someother areas a very good matki phoran' program is arranged. a large matki filled with butter is hanged with rope in air. Now Young boys climb over each other , and their leader on top will break the matki, and holi festival is started.
Recently this program is also being arranged in chachro.
