We celebrate festivals with immense joy and excitement, but in every region the methods are different. Holi, the fun-filled and messy festival of colours is what we Indian love to celebrate with our hearts wide-open. We don’t care about getting dirty because it is how Holi is meant to be celebrated. But there's Holika Dahan also. Holika Dahan is a festival celebrated one day before the festival of colours, Holi. It is celebrated as a festival of victory of good over evil and a triumph of a true devotee. There are many legends associated with this festival. One of the most significant legends is the story of Prahlad and his aunt, Holika.
Have you ever tried to find out about any other similar festival like Holika Dahan, in this blog I'm going to write about just like our country India, how many other countries celebrate the festival of Bonfire which we call it Holika Dahan.
Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) - England:
Guy Fawkes Day, also called Bonfire Night, celebrated on November 5, commemorating the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
The Gunpowder Plot conspirators, led by Robert Catesby, were zealous Roman Catholics enraged at King James I for refusing to grant greater religious tolerance to Catholics. They planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) during the state opening of Parliament, intending to kill the king and members of Parliament in order to clear the way to reestablishing Catholic rule in England. The plan failed when the conspirators were betrayed. One of them, Guy Fawkes, was taken into custody the evening before the attack, in the cellar where the explosives to be used were stashed. The other conspirators were all either killed resisting capture or—like Fawkes—tried, convicted, and executed. In the aftermath, Parliament declared November 5 a national day of thanksgiving, and the first celebration of it took place in 1606.
Today Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in the United Kingdom, and in a number of countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, with parades, fireworks, bonfires, and food. Straw effigies of Fawkes are tossed on the bonfire, as are—in more recent years in some places—those of contemporary political figures. Traditionally, children carried these effigies, called “Guys,” through the streets in the days leading up to Guy Fawkes Day and asked passersby for “a penny for the guy,” often reciting rhymes associated with the occasion, the best known of which dates from the 18th century.
Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” - Fukuoka, Japan.
Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine’s “Oniyo” is a festival with tradition of more than 1,600 years and it is also one of Japan’s Three Major Fire Festivals! Its purpose is to banish evil spirits from the town and grant luck, fertility and prosperity.
Shinto Priests purify the town with fire from torches, bonfires and fireworks to drive away evil demons (oni) and ensure good luck and prosperity to the residents. In a tradition that dates back 1900 years, the six neighborhoods surrounding the shrine construct huge torches and parade them between the holy waters of the Arai river and the shrine in order to chase the devil from the town.
Jeongwol Daeboreum Deulbul Festival - Jeju, S. Korea.
the Fire Festival is a cleansing ritual and the prayer ceremony for luck and good harvest.The island of Jeju was created through a series of volcanic eruptions from 2 million years ago. It is a well-known fact that volcanic eruptions usually have pyroclastic displays, thus it is a fitting celebration for an island that was created by volcanoes. The word daeboreum translates to “great full moon.” During the celebration of the fire festival in Jeju, people from all over flock to the island, braving the cold to climb Mount Halla, a dormant volcano that sits right at the center of Jeju, just to catch the magnificence of the first full moon of the new lunar year. The practice is called “dalmaji.” Some would go as far as the East Coast of South Korea to catch a glimpse of the sun’s first rays at this particular time. Both of these traditions are believed to bring good luck to those who try.
Samhain 2012 - Out of the Darkness - Altoona, Florida, USA.
More than 500 pagans gather in Florida for the state's largest pagan festival. Running from October 31 to November 4 at Camp Ocala, each day is filled with feasting, rituals, drumming, dancing and live entertainment.The main ritual in 2012 is centred around the "Burning Times" when so-called "witches" were put to death.during this festival, the world of the gods “was believed to be made visible to humankind,” leading to supernatural tricks and trouble; ghosts of the dead and spirits from the Otherworld were also thought to return to the earth during Samhain. To appease deities during this time, sacrifices (generally of crops and animals) were burned in bonfires as a protective measure from from evil otherworldly beings and offerings were left out for other visiting mischievous spirits. Tricks and pranks were often played, but blamed on fairies and spirits during the three-day period when the line between the two worlds blurred.
Ottery St Mary - Devon, England.
Every year, for reasons lost in antiquity, the Flaming Tar Barrels are carried through the streets of Ottery St Mary to the delight of thousands of townsfolk and visitors. Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its Tar Barrels, an old custom said to have originated in the 17th century, and is held each year. Each of Ottery's central public houses sponsors a single barrel. In the weeks prior to the day of the event, November 5th, the barrels are soaked with tar. The barrels are lit outside each of the pubs in turn and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people's backs and shoulders.The streets and alleys around the pubs are packed with people, all eager to feel the lick of the barrels flame.
Sadeh - Iran.
Sadeh meaning hundred, is a mid winter feast that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Iran. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold. From Achaemenid times the Iranian calendar had 360 days and was short of 5 days. Ardeshir the first Sassanian king reformed the calendar and 5 days were added at the end. The new calendar receded slowly against the solar year, and the holy days, which with their symbolism were closely linked with the seasons, became gradually divorced from them. The months moved and so did the holy days, to make sure festivals were observed correctly both the old and the new dates were celebrated. The festival celebrated in Yazd till a few decades ago was according to Fasli (seasonal) calendar and in a few villages it was called Hiromba. While the other Zoroastrians celebrated the Sadeh in Bahman. There was confusion earlier in the century as to when it should be celebrated, but most Zoroastrians have adopted the 10th of Bahman as the main event.
In Sassanian times huge bon fires were set up. Priests led the prayers specific to fire ‘Atash Niyayesh’ and performed the correct rituals before it was lit at sunset. People would dance around the fires. Wine an expensive luxury was served communally and like all other Zoroastrian religious ceremonies the occasion would end with fun, merriment and feasts. The most elaborate report of the celebration comes from the 10th century during the reign of Mardavij Zeyari, the ruler of Isfahan. From Iranian origin the Zeyari family did their best to keep the old traditions alive. Huge bon fires were set up on both sides of the ‘Zayandeh Rood’, the main river dividing the city. The fires were contained in specially build metal holders to maintain control. Hundreds of birds were released while carrying little fireballs to light the sky. There were fireworks, clowns, dance and music with lavish feasts of roasted lamb, beef, chicken and other delicacies.
