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Letters from India

Here are some of the topics covered by our students in Mumbai, India :

Holi Festival

Hello!

Good to hear from you!

I've got the students to describe one of our festivals here which we celebrated on the 13th of March. It is possibly one of the children's favourite!

Bharti

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Dear Friends,

Holi is one of India's oldest festivals, and many lendends have come to be associated with it.

According to one version the festival is named after Holika, the sister of a demon-king, Hiranyakashipu. The demon had defeated the gods and and had ordered that he be worshipped as a god in his own right. However, his own son Prahlad, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, refused to do so. This enraged Hiranyakashipu. He asked his sister, Holika, who could not be burnt by fire, to sit on a burning pyre with the the prince in her lap. Hoilka agreed, but by the grace of Lord Vishnu, Prahlad remained unscathed while Hoilka perished in the fire. Thus good triumphed over evil.

To mark the death of Holika, people light huge bonfire on Holi.

Children like to play with powder colour and ballons.

from Disha (girl)

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Dear Friends,

Holi is one of the festival among Hindu. On this day we throw colours on each other.

There is story behind this festival. Once upon a time there was a king. He had one son and one sister. His son's name was Prahlad and his sistre's name was Holika. She had boon of fire. Son did not belive his father as god but he belive to god Vishnu. One day the king told Holika to burn his child. But she only got burn. From this day people celebrate Holi.

Hindus put coconut in the lighted Holi bonfire and they pray to god.

Your friend Ojas (boy)

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Dear Friend,

In our country there are many festivals such as Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, etc. Holi is a festival of colours.

This time it fell on 13th March. There are two days for Holi. On the first day, people make a big heap of dry twigs, dry leaves and logs. At the centre of the heap they keep a small pot with grains in it. They burn the heap at night. It makes a very big fire. This is how people worship God. They also pray for the wishes and get them. The grains inside the pot get cooked and distribute them as 'prasad'. This Holi offering is considered holy.

The real joy people get on the second day. They also throw 'Gulal' on each other. People throw colours on each other and enjoy a lot. The colour is made up of powder. We rub the coloured powder on the faces, hair, hands, etc.

We also put water in the balloons and throw on each other. Before Holi we also throw water balloons on the people on the road and drench them completely. Many people don't like it, but that is the fun. In this way we celebrate Holi. The buildings also get coloured, the lanes are coloured and the floors are also coloured by this water!

People play freely for an hour or more. We in our building we play with balloons and 'oilpaint'. 'Oilpaint' is a kind of colour, if we put it on skin it cannot be removed easily because paint is mixed with oil. We use kerosene to remove it. But still the little remains.

Your Friend, Parth (boy)

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Dear friends,

Today I am tell you about Holi festival. Perhap next to Divali, Holi is most important Hindu festival. It is held on a certain full-moon day in spring. It is celebrted throughout India.

The story goes that the child Prahlad was a great worhipper of God Vishu. His father Hiranyakashipu asked him not to workship Vishnu. He [Prahlad] rufused to obey his evil father. He [Father] was angry . He [Father] asked his sister Holika to burn up the little Prahlad. Holika tried to burn up the little Prahlad. However, she herself was turned into ashes by divine powers, but Prahlad was saved.

By evening huge piles of firewood and every thing else that can be burnt, are lit.

The Holi people go about yelling, dancing, banging at drums, blowing at pipes and playing pranks. They squirt colourwater at each other. They throw colour powerders on Newly-married couples are marked out for this colour treatment. They is great fun throughtout the day.

Amisha (girl)

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Holi In the morning at 8.oo am all of us came down from our flats. We threw water filled balloons on each other. After that we threw our Holi coloured powder like gulal (red), green colour, blue colour on everyone. Some had also used oil pastel colours. From other buildings also other boys and girls came play holi. We played till 12.oo noon. After that we went home. We had to use kerosene and we rubbed it our hand to removed oil paints.

from Nevil (boy)

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Dear Friend,

Holi is colour festival. The second day of Holi when we play with colours is called Dhuleti.

Two to three days before Holi, children throw ballons and small plastics bags filled with water on other people passing through the streets below their buildings.

Everyone celebrate Holi.

On Dhuleti day we all throw ballons and colours on each other.Some people play holi at beach. We throw oilpaints colour on each other.

On Dhuleti day we wear old clothes because our clothes become coloured. This year, I had blue patches on my head, oilpaints colour on my face!

I went to play at St Joseph's school where they had a "Rain Dance". I like Holi very much.

Your friend, Pratik (boy)

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Dear Friends,

In the recent festival we celebrated Holi. Holi comes in the month of March but at different days and dates. This time it was celebrated on 13 th of March. This is Hindu festival.

The joy of Holi is taken by all the peoples like the younger ones and also elder ones. On the day of Holi the women do pooja [prayers] and they make a big bonfire.

On the next day Holi that is called "Dhuleti". On that day the children have fun of playing with balloons. They burst water balloons is the great fun for children and also playing with red colour which we call "Gulal" in Hindi. And children around 3 to 8 yrs play with "Pichkari" [water guns]. That is very small water tank and there is a handle which we have to press inside and the water comes out.

Some of them also play with oil paints but it is dangerous if it goes in eyes and the disadvantage is that to removeoil paints with kerosene. So I avoid to play with oil paints. The elders play mostly with dry colours.

This year, at about 11 o' clock we went to 'RAIN DANCE'. An artifical rain pipes are set up and musicians are there and you have to dance. We have great fun to go in rain dance. My all the friends comes there with their cousins. At afternoon we have lunch there.

After 1 o' clock we are not allowed to burst balloons on any one. At nigth we all the building members have a get together and have dinner on are terrace and after that we sing songs and play some games and have fun.

Holi is the festival for which I wait for the whole year. It is my best festival and I enjoy this festival very much.

Bye! Your Friend Ruchi (girl)

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Hello,

Holi is a festival of the Hindus. This festival is a joyful festival for the people. This festival is played with powder colours and with water. This festival marks the end of Winter and Summer starts.

This festival had started when a boy named Pralad was burnt alive because his father, who thougth that he was the only Lord and the almigthy in the whole world. He told Pralad that start calling me the God. There is no other God in the world. But Prahlad didn't listen to his father. One day his father got wild, he tried to burn Pralad alive. But in the fire Pralad took God's name again and again. Prahlad was saved from the fire. From this day the festival Holi started.

Your friend, Harsh

Mrs Bharti Shah is Co-ordinator of the Computer Centre.
Copyright � 1998 [Knowledge Ware Interactive]. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 02, 1999.