SangamSD, AIGS, and ISA are excited to present Holi 2016: RANGEELA, UC San Diego’s largest annual Holi festival!
WHERE: UCSD MARSHALL FIELD
WHEN: APRIL 3, 2016
TIME: 12:00PM – 2:30PM
FREE colors and FREE food will be provided, along with great music, and A LOT MORE! Please wear clothing you are okay with getting color on!
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SIGNIFICANCE OF HOLI:
~Written by: SangamSD Executive Board, 2015-2016~
Holi (होली) is a Hindu festival which celebrates the victory of good over evil, the arrival of the bright warm Spring, the end of the dark cold Winter, and a festive day to play, laugh, and forgive. As a celebration of all this, people enjoy a day outside filled with laughter and fun, all while exchanging colored powder.
There is a legend behind why Holi is celebrated this way. The ancient evil King of Multan (मुल्तान), Hiranyakashipu (हिरण्यकशिपु) , considered himself almighty and invincible, and as a result degraded and harassed the citizens of his kingdom. His very own son, Prahlad (प्रहलाद) disagreed with his father’s ways, and refused to surrender to or worship his father. This infuriated Hiranyakashipu, thus he subjected Prahlad to cruel painful punishments which did not affect Prahlad’s resolve to stand up for justice, against his father. Seeing this, Hiranyakashipu and his evil sister (Prahlad’s aunt), Holika (होलिका), came up with a plan to take Prahlad’s life. Holika who had been gifted a fire-proof cloak convinced young Prahlad to sit in her lap, while she wore the fire-proof cloak. As Prahlad took seat in her lap, Holika secretly lit them both on fire, hoping to burn Prahlad to death. As fate would have it, wind blew the cloak off of Holika and encased Prahlad, consequently taking Holika’s life and allowing Prahlad to survive. Seeing this, an enraged Hiranyakashipu smashed a pillar on his face taking his own life, effectively surrendering to Prahlad. Proud citizens of the kingdom celebrated the victory of their hero, Prahlad, by throwing Holika’s ashes around as a celebration of the victory of good over evil.
The festival has come to be known as Holi, a name derived from the defeat of the evil Holika, while colored powdered has, over time, come to be used instead of ashes. Today, we celebrate Holi with colors, joy, and warmth, as it signifies and celebrates the original victory of Prahlad. A victory which sends the message that fate will always side with those who are determined to stand up for justice, just as Prahlad did.
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YOU DON’T WANT MISS THIS EXCITING EVENT! Admission is free, so be sure to bring all your friends! See you all there!
Thanks,
SangamSD Executive Board, 2015-2016
Indian Students Association - UCSD
Association of Indian Graduate Students
~Celebrating 30 Years of Sangam: 1986-2016~
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