Holi Traditions

Some believe that the tradition of playing colors on Holi stems back to a
tradition of Radha and Krishna. It is said that Krishna was jealous of his beloved
Radha’s fair complexion so his mother Yashodha told him teasingly to apply any
color he wanted on Radha’s face, which he mischievously did. Thus, the
tradition of applying color is followed till date. Some say that Krishna was a
colorful God, full of pranks and mischief; he teases the gopis, plays the flute to
them and dances with them, sending them to ecstasy.
The exuberance and history related to Holi have been an inspiration to many
traditional folk songs even sung to this day. Some famous songs have been
written by poets of the ‘Krishan Bhakti Shakha ‘ and are filled with ‘Shingaar
Rasa’ which is the ‘rasa’(flavor) of love.’Rasa’ is the main concept behind
classical Indian arts like theatre, music, and poetry.
Hori is a genre of semi-classical singing and is traditionally sung in the villages
and towns of Uttar Pradesh around Banaras, Prayagraj, Mathura, Mirzapur and
in Bhojpur regions of Bihar. Most Hori’s are sung in Raga Kafi. Raga Kafi depicts
love and goes well with the ‘Rasa’ of the poets and the mood of the festival. ‘Holi
khelat nand lal’ is a traditional Hori sung during the festival. In, Barsana(A town
near Mathura in UP) Holi songs are sung in pure Braj language while women
chase men with sticks and playfully hit them as men protect themselves with
shields. They also sing provocative songs to try to invite the attention of
women. ‘Kanhaiya ghar chalo, guiyan aaj khelen hori’, ‘Rang daalungi nand ke
lalan pe’ and many other songs reverberate in Benaras during the festival.
The Kumaoni Holi in Uttar Pradesh is a musical affair. It is called ‘Baithki Holi’
where ‘Holiyars’ sing Holi songs and people gather to participate, classical music
is also played. The songs have a definite sequence depending on the time of the
day. In the noon time, the songs are based on Peelu, Bhimpalasi and Sarang
Ragas and in the evening they are based on Kalyan, Shyamkalyan and Yaman
Ragas. All this music is accompanied by Dhol and Hurka. Even if you don’t know
it you might still be singing along to folk song derivatives on Holi. Some songs
from Bollywood movies are a blend of folk songs. Rang Barse from Silsila is
taken from a Rajasthani folk song about ‘Mirabai’.Some Bhojpuri and Marathi
folk songs have also been used.
During festivals like Holi, these songs gain popularity. But, despite their charm,
the masses seem to be forgetting their regional music. The traditional music of a
place tells us a lot about its people and their culture.Whatever the music is it
serves it’s purpose to bring people together.So we must save it from going
extinct.