One of the most energetic and fun-loving Hindu festivals, Holi festival in India sees people of all castes come together to chant, drum, and frolic while paint powders (abir) of every hue explode overhead in a rapture of color. It’s all done in the name of female demon, Holika, from which the name of this festival, “Holi”, is derived. Sister to Hiranyakashyap, a demon king who wanted his son killed for revering Lord Vishnu instead of himself, Holika is supposed to have gone to punish the boy (Prahlad) by having him burned alive. In the event, however, the powers that were supposed to protect her saved Prahlad instead and she perished in the flames.
