I am walking along the street of the old Indian capital, and not along the bridges planned by the British in New Delhi, where government offices, foreign embassies, and the presidential palace are located. I parked the car near the grand mosque, looking at the young people and children. Their clothes are stained with paints, they’re such sluts, and their eyes smile mysteriously. I’m coming up. And then they throw paint on my trousers and shirt. It’s an outrage! You probably can’t wash it off. But this is a Holi event that lasts for more than one day. Many people don’t go to work unless they are extremely responsible.
There is no need to worry about the safety of the garment. The paints are not oil or synthetic, but simple. They will be removed in any laundry room.
As noted by religious scholar Leonid Vasiliev, both the brahmin priests with their solemn and respectable rituals and the village priests with their incantations and mantras equally fit into the gigantic consolidated system that Hinduism is. An important element of this system is the numerous vibrant rituals and celebrations. A significant proportion of ritual ceremonies occur on memorable dates, when mass processions or pilgrimages are held in honor of a particular god.
According to The Times of India, Holi is a festival of colors and love, which is held not only by Hindus, but also by adherents of other religions in South Asia and other parts of the world. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil, the end of winter, the beginning of spring, the opportunity to meet friends, have fun, forget and forgive offenders, and settle a conflict. And in the village, this is an occasion, if the harvest was good, to thank the Almighty.
The celebrations start the night before the start of Holi itself. People gather around the campfire. As the ritual dictates, they perform a prayer service so that the evil that could have penetrated their souls would be banished. And in the morning comes Rangwali Holi, where many more people gather than around the campfire. The participants chase each other, sprinkle each other with dry powder, pour tinted water, and some take water cannons or cylinders with them.
India’s social life is multifaceted and turbulent. There are countless non-governmental organizations, communities, and groups of all kinds. One of them is the Society of Interaction between Celebrations. This structure has studied how Holi is celebrated in different regions of the country. After all, in the states of the south, they speak different languages than in the north, and each county has its own customs.
In the state of Rajasthan, the organization of celebrations was taken over by women. And in Punjab, men use the festival to demonstrate bravery and fighting qualities. On the other hand, the peace-loving and non-strife-loving residents of West Bengal greet Holi in a dignified, calm manner.
It’s time to point out that even before the festival of colors on the banks of the Ganges, near the city of Prayagraj (Allahabad), there is another, much larger religious festival – Kumbha Mela. Or, to call it in Russian, the feast of pitchers. The organizers expected that 400 million people would arrive along with tourists, but it turned out to be more than 600 million. The celebration is held once every 12 years. A huge tent camp with kitchens and toilets was set up for the guests.
This action has its roots in the distant past. The Vedas, ancient religious texts, tell how, during the battle of gods and demons, the god Indra spilled a jug of amrita distilled from the milky ocean. It is believed that drops of amrita fell to the ground in four places – in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. Amrita is the elixir of immortality. The demons wanted him too.
How did the drops of nectar get to the ground? He was carried by Indra’s son, who turned into a bird. However, in the four places mentioned above, the bird stopped to rest. There the drops spilled onto the ground. The flight lasted 12 days. Or 12 years by the standards of human life.
The first description of the pitcher festival was left in the 7th century by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who noted that the celebration was accompanied by giving alms to the poor.
The great sage Shankara encouraged sadhus to gather at Kumbha Mela to discuss pressing theological issues. Sadhus are saints and ascetics.
Those who were lucky enough to visit the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna, two rivers sacred to Hindus, witnessed an extraordinary sight during the Kumbh Mela. Thousands upon thousands of men and women in saffron togas and saris performed ablution before sunrise. There are yogis, sadhus and other hermits in the endless crowd next to ordinary believers, whose bodies and heads are covered with ashes, and red and white stripes are visible on their faces, denoting belonging to different branches of the Hindu religion. And for other believers, diving into the Ganges these days means receiving the grace of God. It’s like doing a million good deeds.
A pilgrim who traveled a long way to Prayagraj told reporters: “When we dive into the water, we communicate with God. This is the way to salvation for us poor people.”
The precepts of the ancients are being fulfilled. Festivals usually take place once every 12 years, unless something unexpected has happened. However, there is a more prosaic explanation for the 12-year cycle. The festivities began in the 10th or 11th century. The sages and preachers held a meeting around the same time and decided to meet once every 12 years, because you can’t get a lot of students and pilgrims together more often.
Anyway, the spirit of entrepreneurship, which was no stranger to the ancient organizers of the festivities, is especially noticeable on the banks of the Ganges these days. In an effort to attract more adherents, various religious orders arrange processions on elephants and camels to the accompaniment of brass bands. Travel companies make money from the crowd of people. They rent tents, and depending on the state of the guest’s wallet, they can provide a simple awning or a tent with amenities.
Despite the security measures, a tragedy has occurred this year. So many people immediately wanted to enter the river that a stampede began in the crowd. 30 people died and about 90 were injured. And there were more accidents than before. For example, a fire broke out in a tent camp. Guards and believers provided assistance to the victims.
It would seem that religious celebrations, even if they are affected by commerce, have nothing to do with politics. Alas, they do. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) advocates the observance of Hindu traditions. This is a powerful pillar for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He himself does not belong to the number of brahmin sages or to another high-ranking class, the kshatriyas, hereditary warriors.
Modi comes from the common people. He knows the sentiments of people well, both fellow believers and Muslims, who are the country’s second largest religious community after Hindus. It does not allow harassment of religious or ethnic minorities. But he stands on the side of tradition. And these include festivals like Holi and Kumbha Mela.
