Holi Festival 胡里节

颜丹

What is Holi Festival？ 什么是胡里节？

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.

胡里节是印度教徒庆祝的传统新年。这是一个用颜色、水和糖果来庆祝的节日，主要在印度、尼泊尔、巴基斯坦等国家举行庆祝。

Why do people celebrate Holi？

为什么人们要庆祝胡里节？

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.

胡里节最初是一个庆祝丰收和肥沃土地的节日。除了为了庆祝春天的到来，印度教徒们还认为这是一个享受五颜六色的春天和向冬天告别的时刻。

胡里节的庆祝也与许多神话和传说有关。在节日前夕，人们点燃篝火。“胡里”这个名字来源于恶魔胡里卡。

现代胡里节的起源可以追溯到古代。人们前往克里希纳神庙，在圣像上涂上红色，然后将红色粉末撒向家人和朋友。

How to celebrate Holi in India？

在印度如何庆祝胡里节？

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.

人們在农历月的最后一个满月日庆祝的胡里节，通常会在二月下旬或三月。在印度大部分地区，胡里节大约会持续两天。在胡里节期间，这些地方的旅游业异常火爆。

这个节日最大的特点之一是缩小了社会阶层之间的巨大差距，把印度教徒和其他宗教的教徒聚集在一起。

今天的胡里节不仅限于年轻人，你会看到不同年龄的人，年轻人和老年人都会参加。就像以前一样，人们去拜访他们的朋友和家人，和他们一起玩。也有一些私人派对，是由某些团体为公众组织的，人们可以和他们的朋友一起去那儿过胡里节。

你可以混合一些姜黄粉和花朵，制成自己天然的胡里节颜料来庆祝胡里节。请放心，这种颜料是安全的，对皮肤很有益。

（英语原文选自：mocomi.com）

【Notes】

1. Hindu [     ] n. 印度教教徒;印度人

2. fertile [     ] adj. 富饶的，肥沃的

3. bonfire [     ] n. 篝火

4. derive [     ] vt. 源于

5. distribute [     ] vt. 分配;散布

6. turmeric [     ] n. 姜黄;姜黄根粉，郁金根粉

7. rest assured放心;确信无疑