Holidays Around the World: Holi

Holi – the Festival of Colors, Festival of Spring, and Festival of Love – is one of the most popular and significant festivals in Hinduism. Holi takes place in early March annually and celebrates two themes: the triumph of good over evil, and the eternal, divine love of gods Radha and Krishna.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. commemorate
    mark by some ceremony or observation
    A colorful and dynamic festival, the annual celebration of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is celebrated by Hindus in India and throughout the world. Revelers cover each other in colored powder and water to celebrate the beginning of spring and to commemorate various Hindu legends.
    – Smithsonian Magazine
  2. revered
    profoundly honored
    Holi is considered as one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country.
    – Holi Festival
  3. festival
    a day or period of time set aside for celebration
    Holi is considered as one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country.
    – Holi Festival
  4. ritual
    the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies
    The ritual starts by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and this process symbolizes the triumph of good over the bad.
    – Holi Festival
  5. triumph
    a successful ending of a struggle or contest
    The ritual starts by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and this process symbolizes the triumph of good over the bad.
    – Holi Festival
  6. societal
    relating to people in general
    On this one day—the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna—societal rankings such as caste, gender, age, and status are eschewed in the spirit of making merry together, and everyone is fair game to be doused with color.
    – Britannica
  7. caste
    a hereditary social class among Hindus
    On this one day—the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna—societal rankings such as caste, gender, age, and status are eschewed in the spirit of making merry together, and everyone is fair game to be doused with color.
    – Britannica
  8. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
    On this one day—the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna—societal rankings such as caste, gender, age, and status are eschewed in the spirit of making merry together, and everyone is fair game to be doused with color.
    – Britannica
  9. douse
    wet thoroughly
    On this one day—the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna—societal rankings such as caste, gender, age, and status are eschewed in the spirit of making merry together, and everyone is fair game to be doused with color.
    – Britannica
  10. ire
    anger; irritability
    According to one popular version of the story, an evil king became so powerful that he forced his subjects to worship him as their god. But to the king’s ire, his son Prahlada continued to be an ardent devotee of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu.
    – Time
  11. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
    According to one popular version of the story, an evil king became so powerful that he forced his subjects to worship him as their god. But to the king’s ire, his son Prahlada continued to be an ardent devotee of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu.
    – Time
  12. devotee
    an ardent follower and admirer
    According to one popular version of the story, an evil king became so powerful that he forced his subjects to worship him as their god. But to the king’s ire, his son Prahlada continued to be an ardent devotee of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu.
    – Time
  13. deity
    a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the world
    According to one popular version of the story, an evil king became so powerful that he forced his subjects to worship him as their god. But to the king’s ire, his son Prahlada continued to be an ardent devotee of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu.
    – Time
  14. immune
    not affected by a given influence
    The angry king plotted with his sister, Holika, to kill his son. Holika, who was immune to fire, tricked Prahlada to sit in a pyre with her. When the pyre was lit, the boy’s devotion to Lord Vishnu helped him walk away unscathed…
    – Time
  15. pyre
    wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
    The angry king plotted with his sister, Holika, to kill his son. Holika, who was immune to fire, tricked Prahlada to sit in a pyre with her. When the pyre was lit, the boy’s devotion to Lord Vishnu helped him walk away unscathed…
    – Time
  16. unscathed
    not injured
    The angry king plotted with his sister, Holika, to kill his son. Holika, who was immune to fire, tricked Prahlada to sit in a pyre with her. When the pyre was lit, the boy’s devotion to Lord Vishnu helped him walk away unscathed…
    – Time
  17. illusory
    having the nature of something unreal or deceptive
    The story represents the fun and flirtatiousness of the gods but also touches on deeper themes: of the passing of the seasons and the illusory nature of the material world.
    – Smithsonian Magazine
  18. mischievous
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    Some people believe the Holi colours came from Krishna mischievously throwing coloured water over his milkmaids when he was a boy.
    – BBC
  19. vibrant
    (of colors) bright and striking
    The vibrancy of colors is something that brings in a lot of positivity in our lives and Holi being the festival of colours is actually a day worth rejoicing.
    – Holi Festival
  20. rejoice
    express great happiness
    The vibrancy of colors is something that brings in a lot of positivity in our lives and Holi being the festival of colours is actually a day worth rejoicing.
    – Holi Festival
Created on Mon Mar 06 20:29:41 EST 2023 (updated Wed Mar 08 10:00:07 EST 2023)

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