বাংলায় পড়ুন
Spring is here and so is our favorite festival, Holi or Dol as we Bengalis know it. It’s that time of the year when we arm ourselves with pichkaris and get ready to turn each other into real-life ghosts. Dol, as we all know now, is about decking up in our ‘holi’ clothes and smearing each other with abir. Many perform Satya Narayan puja on this auspicious occasion too. But do we know the history behind Dol Purnima? Do we know why is it called Dol to be specific?
Dol Purnima is celebrated on the auspicious occasion of full moon. It is said that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (AD 1486 – 1533) was born on this day which gives a chance for Bengalis to perform a grand celebration. The Vaishnava saint from Nabadwip upraised the passion of Radha-Krishna to a spiritual level. His kirtan, which is still popular even in the 21st century praised Hari (as Mahaprabhu called Krishna) as a loving remembrance.
But Holi is incomplete without Krishna. As we know, in Dwarka, the grand celebration of holi goes on for 16 days but in Bengal, it’s just 2 days. The first day is Dol, and the second day is Holi. Legend has it that the tradition of playing with colors was started by Lord Krishna. On this day he applied colors on Radha, his beloved and other Gopis. This gesture of love gained popularity and playing with colours on Dol Purnima became a tradition. Many Bengalis perform Satya Narayan puja on this day for the well being of the household. They smear abir on the idol before proceeding with the celebration of colors.
‘Dol Purnima’ is also known as ‘Dol Jatra’. Dol in Bengali means swing, it is derived from the ritual of swinging Radha Krishna. Idols of Radha and Krishna are carried around town on palanquin decorated exquisitely with flowers. Devotees take turn to swing Radha-Krishna whilst singing devotional songs. People gather around to dance and sing all throughout the procession. They spray colors and abir on everyone who is a part of this joyous occasion.
