Braj ki Holi is such a festival which is celebrated with great pomp and show in the entire country, on the day of Holi people hug each other and wish each other Holi. Although Holi is celebrated in the entire country but the most famous is the Braj ki Holi. Holi festival is celebrated with great pomp and show in Braj and here Laddu Holi, Phoolon Ki Holi, Lathmar Holi and Gulal Ki Holi are celebrated which are different from all others, people come to Brajdham from far away places to see the Braj ki Holi.
The Story Behind Holi
According to mythological stories, after committing deep rape, Hiranyakshyap received a gift from Lord Brahma that nobody could kill him. Lord Brahma had given him a gift that his death can neither take place inside the house nor outside, neither on earth nor in the sky, neither in water nor in fire, neither in the day nor in the night, neither can any human or animal kill him, such a gift was given to Hiranyakshyap.
When Hiranyakshyap got such a gift, he became fearful and started committing atrocities in his kingdom. Hiranyakshyap considered himself as God and used to tell everyone that I am God and worship me. And people were very afraid of him.
Hiranyakshayap got a son whose name was Prahlad and Prahlad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Devotee Prahlad used to worship Lord Vishnu and was always immersed in his devotion. When Hiranyakshayap came to know about this, he became very angry and asked his soldiers to call Prahlad to him.
Hiranyakshayap first explained to his son Prahlad that he should stop worshipping Lord Vishnu and worship him because he is the only God. Devotee Prahlad did not understand this and he started worshipping Lord Vishnu as usual.
When Hiranyakshayap came to know that his son is not understanding, he made a plan to kill him. He asked his soldiers to kill him but after a lot of effort they could not do anything. Hiranyakshayap got very worried about what should be done about this.
Hiranyakshayap’s sister Holika suggested him to burn him in fire. Holika had a sheet with her which could protect her from fire. So they made a plan that they will take Prahlad with holika and sit in the fire so that Prahlad will be burnt to death and Holika will come out safely.
But they did not know that Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and what they had thought happened the opposite, the sheet which Holika had wrapped slipped and came on top of Prahlad and Prahlad was completely safe but Holika was completely burnt to death.
Holi festival is celebrated from that day. Lord Vishnu came out of the pillar and took the form of Narasingha and at the doorstep of the house, he sat on his men and killed Hiranyakshayap with his nails during the evening. That is why the festival of Holika Dahan is celebrated in the entire country. It means that nobody can harm those who worship God. After that when Lord Vishnu came in their Krishna incarnation and were born in Braj, they played Braj ki Holi with colours which is known as Dhul and Dhuleti.
Braj ki Holi
Braj ki holi is the most popular Holi in the world. Holi is celebrated all over the country but the Holi celebrated in Braj is not celebrated anywhere else. Holi festival is celebrated in different styles in the entire Braj, Holi of colors is played in all the temples of Brajdham. In Braj, the festival of Lathmar Holi in Radharani’s village Barsana and Lord Krishna’s village Nandgaon is celebrated in a very different way and people from all over the country come to see it.
Barsana’s Lathmar Holi is a world famous Holi which shows the tradition of this place, this Holi is going on since the time of Lord Shri Krishna and Radha when Krishna used to play Holi with Radha and her friends used to make him run away from the latth.
What is Latthmar Holi
Lathmar Braj ki Holi is the name given to the Holi in which women beat the cowherds of Braj and Nandgaon with sticks, demonstrating the ancient tradition.The cowherds of Braj play Holi by singing Rasiya with them, and the words that are used in the Rasiyas are also included. After that the Gopis of Braj, that is, the women there, chase the cowherds with sticks and run after them.
In this way, the Holi which is celebrated in a joking manner is called Lathmar Holi. In Lathmar Holi, all the people throw flowers on each other, also play with colors and enjoy Holi while dancing to the music of Braj.
Holi 2025 Date
Holika Dahan will be celebrated on 13th March this year and Dhulivandan on 14th March. But the Holi of Braj will begin from March 7 itself, which includes the Laddu Holi of Barsana, followed by Lathmar Holi, Holi of Nandgaon, the Rangbhari Holi of flowers in the Banek Bihari temple Vrindavan. The Holi of Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi Temple and Dwarkadhish Temple in Mathura are also included. Holi is also celebrated with great enthusiasm in Gokul, the childhood village of Lord Shri Krishna.
If you want to enjoy the Holi of Braj, then reach Brajdham by 6th March because Holi will start in Braj from 7th March. The festival Braj ki Holi, which will run from 7th March to 14th March, will fill you with happiness and joy. The Brajwasi celebrate Holi festival in the entire Brajbhoomi with great enthusiasm by remembering Lord Krishna. When you see the Brajwasi painted in the colors of Holi in the streets of Brajbhoomi, you will know why Braj ki Holi is so famous in Brajdham.
Conclusion-
Hope you got the right information about Braj ki Holi in this article. If you liked this article, then share it with your Brajdham devotee friends. May Krishna fulfill all your wishes. Radhe Radhe!