We Indians have a lot of festivals and Holi is one of them.
Holi is a Hindu spring festival which is celebrated in India and Nepal. It is also called the "festival of colours" or the "festival of love" . This festival like Dusehra or Diwali also signifies the victory of good over evil. It also signifies the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships.
It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for good harvest.

![1200px-A_celebration_of_Holi_Festival_of_Colors,_Utah_United_States_2013.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmedneDgDLXCRg7No8ym2XMH8biuzwAVueTiwwNjFQveAr/1200px-A_celebration_of_Holi_Festival_of_Colors%2C_Utah_United_States_2013.jpg)
[Image Source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29394191)

# How it is celebrated
Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, perform religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire.

The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi – a free-for-all festival of colours, where people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. 

Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. Some customary drinks include bhang (marijuana), which is intoxicating.
In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up and visit friends and family.

# The legend behind the festival
There are various legends as to why holi is celebrated but the most famous one is of Lord Vishnu and his devotee and follower Prahlad.
![prahlad.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbbTAuDXJT7yR9ScBPEoZVHiajH8nHxYTUpmwfpsSaJr4/prahlad.jpg)
[Image Source](http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fairytales/indian_mythology_stories/images/prahlad.jpg)

King Hiranyakashipu was the king of demonic Asuras, and had earned a boon that gave him five special powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by astra (projectile weapons) nor by any shastra (handheld weapons), and neither on land nor in water or air. Hiranyakashipu grew arrogant, thought he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.

Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada, however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu. This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right.
Finally, Holika, Prahlada's evil aunt, tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her.Holika was wearing a cloak that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada, who survived while Holika burned. 
Lord Vishnu, took the form of Narasimha - half human and half lion, at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), took Hiranyakashyapu at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placed him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then eviscerated and killed the king with his lion claws (which were neither a handheld weapon nor a launched weapon).

The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, and of the fire that burned Holika.

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