Holi Festival 胡里節

顏丹

What is Holi Festival？ 什么是胡里節？

Holi， is a traditional spring festival celebrated by Hindus1. It is a festival celebrated with colour， water and sweets and is primarily observed in India， Nepal， Pakistan， and some other countries.

胡里節是印度教徒慶祝的傳統新年。這是一個用顏色、水和糖果來慶祝的節日，主要在印度、尼泊爾、巴基斯坦等國家舉行慶祝。

Why do people celebrate Holi？

為什么人們要慶祝胡里節？

Holi originally， was a festival to celebrate good harvests and the fertile2 land. In addition to celebrating the coming of spring， Hindus believed that it was a time to enjoy springs abundant colors and say farewell to winter.

Holi also celebrates many myths and legends. On the eve of the festival， bonfires3 are lit. The name Holi is derived4 from the demoness Holika.

The origin of the modern Holi festival has been traced back to ancient times. People went to Krishna temples， applied red colour to the icon and then distributed5 the red coloured powder to family and friends.

胡里節最初是一個慶祝豐收和肥沃土地的節日。除了為了慶祝春天的到來，印度教徒們還認為這是一個享受五顏六色的春天和向冬天告別的時刻。

胡里節的慶祝也與許多神話和傳說有關。在節日前夕，人們點燃篝火。“胡里”這個名字來源于惡魔胡里卡。

現代胡里節的起源可以追溯到古代。人們前往克里希納神廟，在圣像上涂上紅色，然后將紅色粉末撒向家人和朋友。

How to celebrate Holi in India？

在印度如何慶祝胡里節？

Holi is celebrated on the last full moon day of the lunar month， which usually falls in the later part of February or March. In most parts of India， Holi lasts about two days. These places see a huge surge in tourism during the Holi festival.

One of the festivals biggest attributes is that it closes the wide gaps between social classes and brings Hindus and people belonging to other religions together.

Holi today is not just restricted to the younger ones， and you will see people of all ages， young and old join. Just like the old times， people go visiting their friends and family and play with them. There are private parties too that are organised for the public by certain groups， and people can come and play Holi there with their friends.

You can make your own natural Holi colours by mixing some turmeric6 powder with flowers to play this Holi season. Be rest assured7 that this colour is safe and also extremely good for the skin.

人們在農歷月的最后一個滿月日慶祝的胡里節，通常會在二月下旬或三月。在印度大部分地區，胡里節大約會持續兩天。在胡里節期間，這些地方的旅游業異常火爆。

這個節日最大的特點之一是縮小了社會階層之間的巨大差距，把印度教徒和其他宗教的教徒聚集在一起。

今天的胡里節不僅限于年輕人，你會看到不同年齡的人，年輕人和老年人都會參加。就像以前一樣，人們去拜訪他們的朋友和家人，和他們一起玩。也有一些私人派對，是由某些團體為公眾組織的，人們可以和他們的朋友一起去那兒過胡里節。

你可以混合一些姜黃粉和花朵，制成自己天然的胡里節顏料來慶祝胡里節。請放心，這種顏料是安全的，對皮膚很有益。

（英語原文選自：mocomi.com）

【Notes】

1. Hindu [?????] n. 印度教教徒;印度人

2. fertile [?????] adj. 富饒的，肥沃的

3. bonfire [?????] n. 篝火

4. derive [?????] vt. 源于

5. distribute [?????] vt. 分配;散布

6. turmeric [?????] n. 姜黃;姜黃根粉，郁金根粉

7. rest assured放心;確信無疑