IndiaPost.com - Holi celebrated with much fervor at Irvine temple

India Post News Service

IRVINE, CA: It's that of the time of the year when new flowers bloom, winds become warmer and people in India paint each other in various colors during the Spring Festival - Holi. This Hindu festival is celebrated every March the day after the full moon. Although the festival celebrates the beginning of Spring, it also commemorates the Hindu legend of Prahlad and Holika.

The legend is about an arrogant King Harnakashyup who resents his son worshipping Lord Vishnu. He tries to kill his son but every single time he fails. The king's sister Holika, who had a scarf to prevent her from burning, volunteered to sit her nephew on her lap on a pyre of fire. Miraculously, the scarf flies away from Holika and lands on Prahlad, saving him while his aunt burnt to death. This year Holi fell March 3 and the Mandir in Irvine was no different than the streets of India. Thousands of temple patrons gathered and celebrated Holi with much fervor.

The Mandir organized a Holi Mela which began the night before with the burning of Holika. The following morning at 10 am, temple patrons gathered again performing prayers. Various booths with food, clothing, music, etc covered the sides of the Mandir creating a festive ambience. Once the devotees were done with the prayers, young and old started playing with colors and water.

The organizers of the mela were Rachna Lamba, Ramesh Rao, Sindhu Agnihotri, Smriti Arora, Seema Sharma, Gaurav Bhargava, Surekha Deepak and Vishwanath Tiwari. The organizers were excited about the turn out as thousands of patrons enjoyed the festival at the Mandir, as compared to last year. "Last year, it was a simple celebration with the Holi fire and prayers," mentioned Tiwari. "This year the festival was bigger as more people know about the presence of the Mandir. Hopefully, next year it would be even bigger." The festivities continued until the late afternoon. The Mandir is planning a big summer festival.