Three Dimensions of Religion in The Holi Festival

The Holi Festival is a day that is celebrated all across the world. It can also be called the “festival of love”. All of the color brings joy to everyone and all forget all the hate they have for others. Through Three of Ninian Smart’s Dimensions of Religion we are able to see how this is religion. Ritual in the Holi Festival is outlined by Five Stages; the Entry, Preparation, Climax, Celebration, and Return. Social is represented here by bringing everyone together in a positive and joyful environment. Materialistic is shown through the colored powder, singing, music, and dancing. The Holi festival is something that is enjoyed by everyone, the bright and vibrant colors bring positivity into our lives. You might be asking yourself, “What is Holi?”, Holi is the celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The rebirth and new beginning, and washing the negative away.

The first of the Three Dimensions we are going to discuss is Ritual. There are Five Stages of Ritual. This is called Lovat’s Five Stages of a Ritual. The first stage is the Entry or leaving the ordinary. Here you leave the ordinary world and “enter” into the sacred ritual. This is often done with a symbolic action, music, or incense. Here you collect the wood for the bonfire and this is done the day before the play of colours. The second stage is Preparation or winding up. This part of the ritual involves the participants preparing for the next part of the ritual, the climax. This is done when you are given the information or a prayer. The lighting of the bonfire, and people gathering. The third stage is the Climax, and in this stage of the ritual the participants become involved in the ritual. It is marked as the emotional high point of the ritual. Here the adherent feels the strongest emotional connection. The burning of the “dummy” or the representation of Holika, the devil minded sister of the demon King. The representation of her body is burned on the bonfire. The fourth stage is the Celebration or winding down. In this stage adherents prepare to re-enter the ordinary. This is often done through cleansing or having reflecting time. During this day it is the day of colours! Colored powder is thrown into the air to celebrate the return of spring. The fifth stage is the Return to the ordinary. This stage of the ritual brings the adherent back into ordinary time. The key is that the participant should feel transformed or different as a result of their experience. This is often marked by a symbolic step back into the ordinary through prayer. During the return there is alot of singing, dancing, and drinking among family and friends. Through Lovat’s Five Stages of Religion we can see how religion is represented in Ritual in the Holi Festival. This day has been going on for generations and I believe will keep continuing since there is a very positive reaction from the society.

The second of Ninian Smart's Dimensions of Religion is Social. The Social aspect of Holi Festival is very important. It brings everyone in the society together in a positive environment. This festival is not only celebrated by Hindus it is also celebrated by everyone in the communities, Skins, Christians, Jains. During the Holi Festival any hardships or enemies you have with people are gone, everyone comes together in joyous. People say that most enemies turn into friends during this time. On this day everyone is equal there is no rich or poor, everyone celebrates the festival together. The Holi does not discriminate everyone on this day and everyone is treated equally. When the evening comes families and friends visit their loved ones, and exchange gifts, eat and have family gatherings. The exchange of these gifts helps to strengthen relationships and emotional bonds people have between one another. Most people nowadays are stressed and running around never taking a break. This Holi day is a day to be enjoyed and relaxed where all stress is left behind. Through the social aspect of Holi we are able to see how this is religion. This day brings everyone together with happiness and joy. On this day you may make up with an enemy or see family you don’t often see.

The third of the Three Dimensions of Religion is Materialistic. The Holi Festival is full of Materialism. While it is also a day to forget about other Materialistic possessions this day has bright colors, the smell of spices in the air, traditional Indian music. This festival is also called the festival of colors because the event of the celebration is color. You go to the streets and attend this celebration as people throw colors at one another. Each one of the colors represents something different. Blue is for a Hindu god with blue skin, Krishna. Green is the rebirth and new beginnings. Red is for marriage and fertility. The final color is yellow, which is the color of turmeric, a spice that is used often for occasions. While colors are being thrown around, people are singing, dancing, and gathering all together. The Holi Festival around the world and the music and dancing is different in each place. Through Ninian Smart's Dimension of Religion, Materialism, we are able to see how this is religion. The colorful powder each representing something important in religion, and the singing, music, and dancing that creates the positive and care-free environment for everyone.

Through Three of Ninian Smart’s Dimensions of Religion, Ritual, Social, and Materialistic, we are able to see how the Holi Festival is religion. In Ritual, Lovat's Five Stages of Religion, we can see through each stage how the preparation is and the ending of the Festival. This Holi day is a very social day. It is a large social gathering of friends and families coming together and seeing people you don’t see often. In Materialism, the colorful powder each color having a different meaning behind it and the singing, dancing, and music. While there are other Dimensions of Ninian Smart’s Religion I think that these three represent the Holi Festival in the best way, as well and explaining how this is religion.

Work Cited

1. Decouto, Ella. “Lovat's 5 Stages.” Prezi.com, 5 Sept. 2013, prezi.com/i1sprhaze0fe/lovats-5-stages/.
2. Holi, www.holifestival.org/.
3. Kachroo-Levine, Maya. “How to Celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colors, From India to the U.S.” Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2019, www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/festivals/what-is-holi-festival-of-colors.
4. “Lovat's Stages of a Ritual.” Holi Festival, holi-festi-rhyleigh-brown.weebly.com/lovats-stages-of-a-ritual.html.
5. “Religion.” Holi Festival, holicolourfestivalhidusim.weebly.com/religion.html.
6. “Significance of Holi.” Holi, www.holifestival.org/significance-of-holi.html.