instance_of holika dahan
Holi (" Hol ") is a Hindu ___MASK39___ festival in India and Nepal , also known as the " festival of colours " or the " festival of sharing " love . The festival signifies the victory of good over evil , the arrival of ___MASK39___ , end of winter , and for many a festive ___MASK40___ to meet others , ___MASK79___ and laugh , forget and forgive , and repair broken relationships , and is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest . It lasts for two days starting on the Purnima ( Full Moon ___MASK40___ ) falling in the Bikram Sambat Hindu Calendar month of Falgun , which falls somewhere between the end of February and the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar . The first ___MASK40___ is known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the second as Rangwali Holi , Dhuleti , Dhulandi or Dhulivandan . Falgun or Phalgun is the eleventh ___MASK10___ in the Bengali ___MASK51___ and Nepali ___MASK51___ . This ___MASK10___ is named after the star Uttorfalguni (" Uttôrfalguni "). It marks the arrival of spring , the sixth and ___MASK57___ ___MASK90___ in Bangladesh , Nepal and Assam . The first of Falgun usually falls on 13 February of the Gregorian Calendar . The first day of Falgun is celebrated as Pohela Falgun in Bangladesh . In Nepal the first day of Falgun is marked with colourful celebration of the advent of spring called Holi , known locally as " Fagu ". Traditionally , women wear yellow saris to celebrate this day . ___MASK67___ is a cultural ___MASK16___ of behaviors and practices , world views , sacred texts , holy places , ethics , and societal organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called " an order of existence ". Different religions may or may not contain various elements , ranging from the " divine ", " sacred things ", " faith ", a " supernatural being or supernatural beings " or " some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that ___MASK18___ provide norms and power for the rest of life ." Hinduism is a ___MASK67___ , or a way of life , found most notably in India and Nepal . Hinduism has been called the oldest ___MASK67___ in the world , and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as "", " the eternal law ," or the " eternal way ," beyond human origins . Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions , with diverse roots and no founder . This " Hindu synthesis " started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE following the Vedic period ( 1500 BCE to 500 BCE ). Hindu refers to any ___MASK56___ who regards themselves as culturally , ethnically , or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism . It has historically been used as a ___MASK33___ , cultural , rather than a religious ___MASK80___ for ___MASK17___ indigenous to South Asia . Hiranyakashipu (" clothed in gold "; the ___MASK65___ is said to depict one who is very much fond of wealth and ___MASK1___ life : " hiranya " " gold ," " kashipu " " soft cushion ") is an Asura from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism . His younger brother , Hiranyaksha was slain by Varaha , one of the Avatars of Vishnu . Angered by this , Hiranyakashipu decided to gain magical powers by performing a penance for Lord Brahma . He was subsequently killed by the Narasimha Avatara of Lord Vishnu . His tale depicts the futility of desiring power over others and the strength of God ' s protection over his fully surrendered devotees ( in the case of his son Prahlada ). Hiranyakashipu , according to legend , was the king of the " daityas " and had earned a boon from Brahma that made him virtually indestructible . He grew arrogant , thought he was God , and demanded that everyone worship only him . Vishnu ( IAST : "") is one of the ___MASK38___ deities of Hinduism , and the Supreme Being in its Vaishnavism tradition . Along with Brahma and Shiva , Vishnu forms a Hindu trinity ( Trimurti ); however , ancient Hindu texts do mention other trinities of gods or goddesses . Holika Dahan also Kamudu pyre is celebrated by burning Holika , the devil . For many traditions in Hinduism , Holi celebrates the ___MASK94___ of Holika in ___MASK22___ to save Prahlad , and thus Holi gets its name . In olden days , people use to contribute a piece of wood or two for Holika bonfire . The Vedic ___MASK71___ ( or Vedic ___MASK95___ ) was the ___MASK71___ in Indian history during which the Vedas , the oldest scriptures of Hinduism , were composed . The Gregorian ___MASK51___ is internationally the most widely used civil ___MASK51___ . It is named after Pope Gregory XIII , who introduced it in October 1582 . ___MASK49___ , officially the ___MASK61___ of ___MASK49___ (" Bhrat Gaarjya "), is a country in South Asia . It is the seventh - largest country by area , the second - most populous country ( with over ___MASK21___ . 2 billion people ), and the most populous democracy in the world . It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south , the Arabian ___MASK3___ on the southwest , and the ___MASK72___ of Bengal on the southeast . It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west ; China , Nepal , and Bhutan to the northeast ; and Myanmar ( Burma ) and Bangladesh to the east . In the Indian Ocean , ___MASK49___ is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives . ___MASK49___ ' s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia . Its capital is New Delhi ; other metropolises include Mumbai , Kolkata , Chennai , Bangalore , Hyderabad and Ahmedabad . Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic ___MASK61___ of Nepal , is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia . It has a population of 26 . 4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area . Bordering China in the north and India in the south , east , and west , it is the largest sovereign Himalayan state . Nepal does not border Bangladesh , which is located within only 27 km ( 17 mi ) of its southeastern tip . It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between . Nepal has a diverse ___MASK83___ , including fertile plains , subalpine forested hills , and ___MASK100___ of the world ' s ten tallest mountains , including Mount Everest , the highest point on Earth . Kathmandu is the nation ' s capital and largest city . It is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language . Holika was a demoness in Hindu Vedic scriptures , who was burnt to ___MASK94___ with help of ___MASK69___ Vishnu . She was the sister of King Hiranyakashipu and aunt of Prahlad . A ___MASK73___ is an event ordinarily celebrated by a ___MASK88___ and centering on some characteristic aspect of that ___MASK88___ and its ___MASK67___ or traditions , often marked as a local or national ___MASK35___ , mela , or eid . Next to ___MASK67___ and folklore , a significant origin is agricultural . Food is such a vital resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time . Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn , such as Halloween in the northern hemisphere and Easter in the southern .