Much like the carol singing tradition around the time of Christmas where groups of people go from house to house singing songs and spreading the festive cheer, there is a similar tradition among the Kumaoni people in the hill state of Uttarakhand and surrounding hill areas. There is a strong musical tradition in the way that holi, the festival of colours is celebrated by the traditional hill folk.
The special significance of Holi in the hills
In the hills, the festival of holi denotes more than just a celebration of colour. For the farming communities of the hills, the festival also marks the triumph of good over evil. It also heralds the end of a long and hard winter and the official beginning of the new sowing season and hence fresh beginnings and so is a very joyous occasion. The musical tradition of the hills forms a very big part of the holi celebrations, with the music ‘mehfils’ starting weeks in advance of the actual festival. The musical renditions feature not only the folk music of the area but also classical compositions in popular afternoon raags such as Peelu, Sarang and Bheempalasi and evening raags such as Yaman and Kalyan.
The ‘khadi’, ‘baithi’ or ‘baithaki’ and ‘mahila’ musical traditions
There are some traditions that feature mainly the men folk of the region – the ‘baithi’ or ‘baithaki’ (literally meaning sittings) traditions where musical evenings are organised in homes, around common village bonfires or at the village temple. There is a spiritual or devotional aspect to this celebration, which is why it is also referred to as Nirvan (redemption) ki holi. The songs often feature stories about Raam-Sita and Krishna-Radha.
The ‘Khadi’ or ‘Khari’ (standing) holi tradition also involves dancing to tunes played on traditional local instruments. About a week before the actual festival, the women of the village have their own ‘mahila’ tradition which also features singing and dancing. The spring festival of Basant Panchmi marks the beginning of Khadi Holi and Mahila holi.
Holiyaron ki toli
On holi day, groups of people go from house to house singing and dancing; giving people blessings and spreading the good cheer of the festive occasion. In the cities, the tradition has been formalised to feature stage shows with professional singers and dancers. This traditional Kumaoni holi song gives an idea about the musical tradition of Kumaoni Holi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onQm7bb2vhI
Wishing all our readers a very happy Holi.
Author: Reena Daruwalla
