Holi

"It begins about ten days before the full moon of the month Phalgun (February-March), but is usually only observed for the last three or four days, terminating with the full moon. This is the spring festival of the Hindus. In the spring season all the trees are filled with sweet smelling flowers. They all proclaim the glory and everlasting beauty of God. They inspire you with hope, joy and a new life, and stir you on to find out the creator and the Indweller, who is hiding Himself in these forms."

"This same scene is enacted every year to remind people that those who love God shall be saved, and they that torture the devotee of God shall be reduced to ashes. When Holika was burnt,people abused her and sang the glories of the Lord and of His great devotee, Prahlad. In imitation of that, people even today use abusive language, but unfortunately forget to sing the praises of the Lord and His devotee! In North India, people play joyfully with coloured water. The uncle sprinkles coloured water on his nephew. The niece applies coloured powder on her aunt’s face. Brothers and sisters and cousins play with one another. Huge bundles of wood are gathered and burnt at night, and everywhere one hears shouts of “Holi-ho! Holi-ho!” People stand in the streets and sprinkle coloured water on any man who passes by, be he a rich man or an officer. There is no restriction on this day. It is like the April Fool’s Day of the Europeans. People compose and sing special Holi songs."

"Aurangzib's order to the subahdar of Gujrat, 20 Nov. 1665, is clear :—“In the city and parganahs of Ahmadabad (i.e., Gujrat), the Hindus following their superstitious customs light lamps in the night of diwali, and during the days of holi open their mouths in obscene speech and kindle the holi bonfire in chahlas and bazars, throwing into the fire the faggot of all people that they can seize by force or theft. It is ordered that in bazars there should be no illumination at diwali, nobody’s faggot should be taken by force or theft and flung into the holi bonfire, and no obscene language used." (Mirat, 276.) It was really a police regulation as regards holi, and an act of bigotry only in connection with diwali"

"The processions are liable to meet in the street, and the lees of the wine of the Hindoos, or the red powder which is substituted for them, is liable to fall upon the tombs of the others. Hindoos pass on, for- getting in their saturnalian joy all distinctions of age, sex, or religion, their clothes and persons besmeared with the red powder, which is moistened and thrown from all kinds of machines over friend and foe ; while meeting these come the Muhammadans, clothed in their green mourning, with gloomy downcast looks, beating their breasts, ready to kill themselves, and too anxious for an excuse to kill any- body else. Let but one drop of the lees of joy fall upon the image of the tomb as it passes, and a hundred swords fly from their scabbards ; many an innocent person falls ; and woe be to the town in which the magistrate is not at hand with his police and military force. Proudly conscious of their power, the magistrates refuse to prohibit one class from laughing because the other happens to be weeping ; and the Hindoos on such occasions laugh the more heartily to let the world see that they are free to do so."

"The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707) first intervened in the affairs of the region in 1665, when he prohibited celebrations of Holi and Diwali, and cremation of the dead on the banks of the Yamuna. The Italian traveller, Niccolao Manucci (1638-1717) noted the ban on Holi, “He hindered the Hindus from enjoying their merry-making or carnival ... The time of this festival or carnival falls ordinarily on the moon of March”."

"A farman of Aurangzeb, dated 20th November 1665, contained several discriminatory regulations against Hindus. It stated that on .... on Holi “they open their tongue with foul speech,” and light the Holi fire in every chakla and bazaar. Mughal officers were ordered to make sure that Hindus did not light the bazaars on Diwali, and did not throw sticks into the Holi fire."

"It was mostly a city of priests and pilgrims many of whom had come from outside for the Holi festival of the springtime rejoicings which had been celebrated two days earlier. Jahan Khan had the fullest opportunity for a literal execution of his master's command “to slay and plunder”. His fury had been further enflamed by the resistance of the previous night and he was not in a mood to show mercy. He ordered an indiscriminate massacre of the people, and the Holi was played afresh with the deep red blood of the Hindus. In addition to his carnage, the city was set at fire and it burnt like a huge bonfire."