KATHMANDU: Fagu Poornima, also known as Holi or the Festival of Colors, is being celebrated with great enthusiasm today in the hilly regions, including the capital, and will continue tomorrow in the Terai.

This festival, often referred to as the Spring Festival, marks the arrival of spring and the harvest season. The first day is called Chhoti Holi or Holika Dahan, while the second day is celebrated as Dhuleti or Holi.

Holika Dahan represents the victory of good over evil, symbolized by lighting a bonfire and performing a special prayer to burn away evil spirits.

On the following day, people engage in celebrations by applying various colors, including Abir (red vermilion powder), on one another.

Fagu Poornima holds a special place among Nepal’s cultural festivals due to its distinct significance and widespread participation. People of all ages joyfully partake in the festivities.

It is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the country, beginning on the eighth day of the new moon and concluding with the burning of the ‘Chir’—a key symbol of the festival—on the full moon later today.

According to Hindu mythology, the demon king Hiranyakashyapu, enraged by his son Prahlad’s unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu, instructed his sister Holika to kill Prahlad. Holika, who had a boon making her immune to fire, sat in a fire with Prahlad on her lap, but while she was consumed by the flames, Prahlad survived unharmed, protected by Lord Vishnu.

Since then, Holi has been celebrated with joy, with the tradition of applying colors. A popular saying holds that Lord Vishnu told Holika that her boon would be useless if misused.

Many elders believe that applying “Tika” made from the ashes of the ‘Chir’ on one’s forehead or keeping it in the home can help ward off any ill omens.