How would you like to have a day when you and your friends could take to the streets to squirt and be squirted with col-ored water, throw water balloons at each other, and maybe even have a tub of col-ored water dumped on you from a window as you walk by? Sound like fun? Well in India, children get to do this every year. Adults join in the fun, too. It’s the festival called “Holi.”

Holi is a celebration of the return of spring with all its vibrant colors in the trees, plants and fl owers. References to this festival are found in ancient Indian manuscripts before the year 0!

One legend about the origin of Holi in-volves a nine-year-old boy named Prahlad. His father was a wicked king. One day, the king decreed that everyone, including his son Prahlad, must worship him. Prahlad chose not to worship the king, but to con-tinue worshipping his God. So his father decided to banish him! He tried several times to get rid of the boy but each at-tempt failed. The king then asked his own

sister named Holiki to help him. She tried to hurt Prahlad in a fi re, but the good boy Prahlad escaped and the evil

Holiki herself was consumed by the

fi re. In com-memoration of this tri-umph of good over evil, the festival of Holi is celebrated each year with a bon-

fi re. As you may have guessed, the festival was originally called Holiki and later was shortened to Holi. This year it occurs on March 22.

Though Holi originated in north-ern India, it is now celebrated throughout the entire country. While celebrations in each region may differ slightly in detail, two things are present in nearly all celebrations: bonfi res and colors. On the night of the full moon in March, bonfi res are set in towns and vil-lages. At this time, old fl ammable items such as clothes and papers that are no longer needed are burned. This is sym-bolic of getting rid of the old and bringing in the new.

The day after the bonfi res is probably the most hilarious festival anywhere in the world. All morning, people throw col-ored powders and colored water on each other. They use large squirt guns called “pichkari” or “pichakari.” Colored water is also poured and splashed out of windows. People enjoy throwing balloons fi lled with colored water at each other. All this mer-rymaking usually ends around noon when everyone is so wet and covered with colors that they need to go home and clean up. In the afternoon, after a shower or bath, people relax and eat treats. Various popu-lar sweets are exchanged among friends.

Singing, dancing and lively proces-sions are everywhere during Holi. Many songs are made up spontaneously. In modern times, some songs have become popular because of their use in “Bollywood” fi lms. (Bollywood is the fi lm industry in India.)

In addition to all the fun, this festival is especially wonderful because it includes people of all ages and from all castes (social levels). .

By Kathy Sorensen&

#

#

#

4

2 ..

Moderato(8 measures introduction)

œ#

f

œ

Aa - ja

Sing 3 times2nd & 3rd times poco accel.

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe - lun

œ œ œ#

Ho - li

&

#

#

#

œ

,

œ# œ

Re. Aa - ja

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe - lun

œ œ œ#

Ho - li

&

#

#

#

˙

Re.

œ# œ œnœ

Sa - va Go - pi -

œ œ œ œ

ya - na mil - li -

œ œ œ œ

ran - ga va - ri

&

#

#

#

œ œ œ œ

,

pi - cha - ka - ri.œ

œ œ

Come, let us

œ œ œ œ

cel - e - brate now,

&

#

#

#

.

.œ œ œ#

Ho - li

˙

Re.

∑

(Repeat twice)

Œ œ# œ

Aa - ja

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san-

&

#

#

#

œ

-

œœN œ

ga khe- lun

œNœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe- lun

œNœ œ

Shya - ma san-

&

#

#

#

œ

-

œœN œ

ga khe-lun

rall.

∑ œ œ

Ho -

˙#

li

˙

U

Re.

Artist: CHHANDA CHAKROBORTITranscribed by KATHY SORENSEN

Arranged by JOHN HIGGINS

Copyright © 2009 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATIONInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN?Today we will play Holi with Shyama. (a Hindu diety)We will get together.We will fi ll the squirt guns with liquid colors.We will color Shyama with colors.

How would you like to have a day when you and your friends could take to the streets to squirt and be squirted with col-ored water, throw water balloons at each other, and maybe even have a tub of col-ored water dumped on you from a window as you walk by? Sound like fun? Well in India, children get to do this every year. Adults join in the fun, too. It’s the festival called “Holi.”

Holi is a celebration of the return of spring with all its vibrant colors in the trees, plants and fl owers. References to this festival are found in ancient Indian manuscripts before the year 0!

One legend about the origin of Holi in-volves a nine-year-old boy named Prahlad. His father was a wicked king. One day, the king decreed that everyone, including his son Prahlad, must worship him. Prahlad chose not to worship the king, but to con-tinue worshipping his God. So his father decided to banish him! He tried several times to get rid of the boy but each at-tempt failed. The king then asked his own

sister named Holiki to help him. She tried to hurt Prahlad in a fi re, but the good boy Prahlad escaped and the evil

Holiki herself was consumed by the

fi re. In com-memoration of this tri-umph of good over evil, the festival of Holi is celebrated each year with a bon-

fi re. As you may have guessed, the festival was originally called Holiki and later was shortened to Holi. This year it occurs on March 22.

Though Holi originated in north-ern India, it is now celebrated throughout the entire country. While celebrations in each region may differ slightly in detail, two things are present in nearly all celebrations: bonfi res and colors. On the night of the full moon in March, bonfi res are set in towns and vil-lages. At this time, old fl ammable items such as clothes and papers that are no longer needed are burned. This is sym-bolic of getting rid of the old and bringing in the new.

The day after the bonfi res is probably the most hilarious festival anywhere in the world. All morning, people throw col-ored powders and colored water on each other. They use large squirt guns called “pichkari” or “pichakari.” Colored water is also poured and splashed out of windows. People enjoy throwing balloons fi lled with colored water at each other. All this mer-rymaking usually ends around noon when everyone is so wet and covered with colors that they need to go home and clean up. In the afternoon, after a shower or bath, people relax and eat treats. Various popu-lar sweets are exchanged among friends.

Singing, dancing and lively proces-sions are everywhere during Holi. Many songs are made up spontaneously. In modern times, some songs have become popular because of their use in “Bollywood” fi lms. (Bollywood is the fi lm industry in India.)

In addition to all the fun, this festival is especially wonderful because it includes people of all ages and from all castes (social levels). .

By Kathy Sorensen&

#

#

#

4

2 ..

Moderato(8 measures introduction)

œ#

f

œ

Aa - ja

Sing 3 times2nd & 3rd times poco accel.

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe - lun

œ œ œ#

Ho - li

&

#

#

#

œ

,

œ# œ

Re. Aa - ja

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe - lun

œ œ œ#

Ho - li

&

#

#

#

˙

Re.

œ# œ œnœ

Sa - va Go - pi -

œ œ œ œ

ya - na mil - li -

œ œ œ œ

ran - ga va - ri

&

#

#

#

œ œ œ œ

,

pi - cha - ka - ri.œ

œ œ

Come, let us

œ œ œ œ

cel - e - brate now,

&

#

#

#

.

.œ œ œ#

Ho - li

˙

Re.

∑

(Repeat twice)

Œ œ# œ

Aa - ja

œnœ œ

Shya - ma san-

&

#

#

#

œ

-

œœN œ

ga khe- lun

œNœ œ

Shya - ma san -

œ œœN œ

ga khe- lun

œNœ œ

Shya - ma san-

&

#

#

#

œ

-

œœN œ

ga khe-lun

rall.

∑ œ œ

Ho -

˙#

li

˙

U

Re.

Artist: CHHANDA CHAKROBORTITranscribed by KATHY SORENSEN

Arranged by JOHN HIGGINS

Copyright © 2009 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATIONInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

WHAT DO THE WORDS MEAN?Today we will play Holi with Shyama. (a Hindu diety)We will get together.We will fi ll the squirt guns with liquid colors.We will color Shyama with colors.