Original cultural traditions linked with Holi celebrations fading with time

Dodhara Chandani (Kanchanpur)- The districts in the Terai/Madhesh, including Kanchanpur, will be celebrating Holi, the festival of colors, tomorrow, Monday.

The festival is observed today in the hilly districts. However, with changing times, the celebratory events of Holi are shrinking, it is said. The traditional Hindu festival, which once featured worship and prayers offered to deities such as Ram and Krishna, as well as presentations of special Holi songs, dances, stories and dramas based on social, natural, and cultural themes, has now become limited to color celebrations.

In the past, dance and singing performances relating to historic and mythical events would be carried out during the festival, symbolizing the victory of truth over falsehood. However, literary figure Kabiraj Bhatta said that such cultural presentations have vanished over time. The present generation mainly internalizes the festival with playing with colours. Bhatta sees the need of preserving the cultural values and prestige of the festival.

Traditionally, people would visit public places and neighbors’ homes to celebrate Holi. The cultural narrations presented during Holi carry historic and cultural values, according to Ramesh Pant, Chair of the Progressive Writers’ Association in the far-west region. He expressed concern over the increasing trend of consuming alcohol and haphazardly playing with colors during Holi, which as he believes undermines its aesthetic values.

Moreover, modern music has replaced traditional musical instruments during the celebrations. The District Police Office in Kanchanpur has urged everyone to refrain from engaging in any untoward activities and to observe the festival in a decent and civilized manner. They warned of taking action against any unwanted behavior.