Hello friends,
“Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbors into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live.”
- David Binder
These are the interesting thoughts on Festivals. But if we want to deconstruct the very idea of happiness in a festival that is not similar to each and every person. Now in this capitalist world if you don't have enough money then you can't enjoy the festivals. There are some exception like their are seasonal changes in atomosphere. Each and every festival have it's own logic benifits and all the things
So here in this blog I am talking about the Bonfire festival that is celebrated world wide.in india we celebrated as Holika Dahan. So let's see what are the rituals and importance of the holika Dahan.
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| Holika Dahan at Bhavnagar ( 2021) |
Holika Dahan ceremony is an integral part of the Holi festival. A night before Holi. The story of Holika Dahan (Holika's death) signifies the triumph of good over evil. Holika is associated with the annual bonfire on the night before Holi. Holika's mythology is connected with that.
What Vaishnavites myth on Holika Dahan :--
There is one demon named Hiranyakahipu, he was very much arrogant. He was against the god Vishnu. But his own son is the great bhaktas of God Vishnu. So Hiranyakahipu tried to convince his son don't pray to Vishnu. But Prahlad didn't listen to his father. Then his father resided to kill Prahlad. He made many plans to kill Prahlad but he didn't succeed . Then at last he was telling her sister Holika to burn Prahlad on fire. But what happens is that Holika burns down and Prahlad is saved by Holika's garments.
This is how the Holika Dahan is celebrated to mark the death of Holika representing the victory of good over evil. “Holi actually marks the end of Spring and beginning of Summer.” The crops, trees, in general the atmosphere heats up throwing out various types of bacterias and viruses. These germs get killed due to the bonfires across cities in India wherever Holi is celebrated.
What Shaivites myth on Holika Dahan :--
Each and every religion finds its own logic and stories to tell. Another story behind Holi that involves a burning sacrifice for the sake of love. The story of Shiva and Kamdev. Before Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati, Kamadeva (God of Love) and his wife Rati (Goddess of love) tried to help Goddess Parvati win Shiva as her husband. Kamadev and Rati shot their arrow at Shiva in order to disturb his meditation and to make him marry Parvati. But the disturbance caused Shiva to open his third eye and its powerful gaze burned Kamadev into ashes and his wife Rati was broken-hearted. Although the arrow did not work (itself got destroyed in the process), Shiva and Parvati did marry later. At their wedding, Rati begged Shiva to bring Kamadev back to her. Shiva agreed, and restored Kamadeva as a Virtual image with true emotions.
So this is the one more myth about the Holika Dahan. But generally the myth of Holika and Vishnu is a famous one.
There are many countries also celebrating the Bonfire festival. Of course there are several differences and similarities.
Let's see how other people celebrate Bonfire and what the rituals and significance are.
Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night :-
Guy Fawkes Night originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and VI of Scotland and replace him with a Catholic head of state. In the immediate aftermath of the 5 November arrest of Guy Fawkes, caught guarding a cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords,l.
James's Council allowed the public to celebrate the king's survival with bonfires, so long as they were "without any danger or disorder". This made 1605 the first year the plot's failure was celebrated. The present-day Guy Fawkes Night is usually celebrated at large organised events, centred on a bonfire and extravagant firework displays.
Gunpowder Treason Day was exported by settlers to colonies around the world, including members of the Commonwealth of Nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and various Caribbean nations.
Alpine and Central Europe :--
There are many similarities in celebration of bonfires in India or in Alpine and central Europe. Bonfire traditions of early spring, lit on the Sunday following Ash Wednesday (Funkensonntag), are widespread throughout the Alemannic German speaking regions of Europe and in parts of France. This festival called "Burning the Witches" takes place on the night between 30 April and 1 May.
This bonfire night is considered magical. The festival was probably originally celebrated when the moon was fully closest to the day exactly between the spring equinox and summer solstice. People believed that on this night witches fly on the Sabbath, and indeed this is one of the biggest pagan holidays. People also believed, for example, in the opening of various caves treasures were hidden. The main purpose of this old folk custom was probably a celebration of fertility. To protect themselves against witches, people lit bonfires in high places, calling these fires "Burning the Witches".
Turkey :--
In Turkey bonfires lit on Kakava are believed to be the awakening day of nature at the beginning of spring. Celebrated by the Romani people in Turkey, on the night of 5-6 May.
After slaughtering muttons, they light the Bonfire and jump over it. Music playing and Belly dancing is performed. The official part ends after the distribution of rice dish pilaf to the around 5,000 attendees.
Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” - Fukuoka, Japan :---
Oniyo is one of Japan’s largest cities and hosts one of its oldest fire festivals. Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” (Fire Festival) is a ceremony to drive away evil spirits that has been practiced for 1,600 years. It’s held in early January each year. A “devil fire” that has been guarded at the temple is transferred - at around 9 p.m. on the seventh day (January 7) - to six massive torches measuring one meter in diameter and 15 meters long. The torches are transported around the grounds of the shrine by a group of men in loincloths. It sounds like a potential health-and-safety issue, but it’s considered to be good luck if embers or ash from the torches fall on them.
In short, all over the world people celebrate bonfires. Though it's rules and regulations are different but that goes to the last result is almost the same. Whether they celebrate bonfires for religious matters , or something great happens, victory of some, win over evil spirit or celebrating seasonal changes or it's fertility. So it is not one country's privilege to celebrate Holika Dahan or bonfires but the whole world is connected with that. For their own happiness and health and fertility of nature. In India we have several myths around one festival like Holika Dahan. As one Gujarati proverb mentioned that " બાર ગાવે બોલી બદલાય". At the Same way if you are travelling when you may across the various stories and logics on any single myths. So what to believe or what not to believe that is the question for many.
This Bonfire celebration is for fighting against evil spirit but it may happen that we are inviting evils. You may think how ? Because people are using domestic waste in a way likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. In practice you should not burn waste that is likely to create excessive smoke or noxious fumes. Also we have now a solution to recycle the waste.
Citation :--
Rogers, Nicholas (2003), Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, Oxford University Press, pp. 38–39, ISBN 978-0-19-516896-9
The Meaning of Holi Parmarth Archived 9 September 2012 at Archive.today Retrieved 26 October 2007.
Walters, Guy (1 November 2011). "Is it anti-Catholic to celebrate Guy Fawkes' Night?". The Daily Telegraph. Guy Fawkes' Nights – which are, after all, more commonly just called Bonfire or Firework Nights)
Thank you...
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