World Wishes India A Happy Holi, Foreign Envoys Jump In Colourful Exuberance

As India celebrates Holi, embassies of different countries extended their wishes on the auspicious occasion. From Saudi Arabia to Sweden, the embassies of different countries celebrated the festival of colours at their embassy. Taking to Twitter, the Sweden embassy in India shared a post showing how embassy officials celebrated the festival of colours at the office. Also, the embassies of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Nepal among other celebrated Holi and extended their greeting to the people of India.

World extends greetings on Holi Indian Embassy in Morocco extends greetings on Holi Indian Embassy in Saudi greets on Holi Why is Holi celebrated?

This year, the celebration of Holi began on March 6. According to the Hindu calendar, the full-moon day of Phalgun month, Holika March, is March 29, and the next day people play Holi with colours. Holi is celebrated all across India, with reasons varying from place to place. Also, Holi is the festival that marks the beginning of spring in India and signifies the victory of good over evil.

According to Hindu mythology and the Bhagvata Purana, Hiranyakashyap, the demon king of the Asuras, had the blessing that he could neither be killed by a human being nor an animal, neither on land nor in water or air, neither indoors nor outdoors. But the same blessing turned him into an arrogant man, following which he started demanding people worship him as a god. Hiranyakashyap’s own son Prahlad refused to worship him as a god, and then the king called on his sister Holika to trick Prahlad into sitting on fire with her. But the plan failed, and Holika herself burned to death while Prahlad came out of the fire alive.

Image: AP