RAWALPINDI: After he had ended the day’s prayers on Wednesday, the pandit at the Krishna Mandir in Rawalpindi shouted ‘Holi hay’ and worshippers started off the festival of colours by throwing powdered colour on each other.

For the first time, the festival of colours fell on Pakistan Day, giving Hindu Pakistanis two reasons to celebrate.

“We are celebrating both Holi and Pakistan Day and have arranged for twice the amount of colours we usually buy,” said Jag Mohan Arora, a resident of Rawalpindi.

The festival is usually celebrated in the evening, when people are free after work. However, because it was a public holiday on Wednesday on account of Pakistan Day, Holi celebrations started in the afternoon, said Mr Arora.

Worshippers first offered a Durga Pooja , followed by a special prayer for the prosperity of Pakistan. A bonfire followed where butter was used to help put cow dung on fire.

“The smoke will protect you from evil all through the year and the evil eye will not harm you,” Pandit Jai Ram explained.

After the bonfire, young men gathered to break an earthen pot hanging in the temple’s courtyard.

“It is usually men who break the pot and the women continue to pray for the protection of their families,” the pandit said.

When they had broken the pot, worshippers started throwing colour on each other and some put on a performance of special Holi songs.

Worshippers had come to the temple with an extra pair of clothes so they could leave in clean clothes after participating in the colour fight.

Talking to Dawn, Pandit Jai Ram told the story of how Holi came to be celebrated.

“Holi symbolises the victory of good over evil,” he said.

The bonfire, he said, was lit in memory of Prahad, the son of Raja Hiranyakashipu of Multan. The Raja declared himself god and his son refused to recognise him as one.

The pandit said Prahad was a devotee of the god Vishnu, who saved him from his father’s cruelty. The Raja asked his sister Holika, who was said to have been blessed by the gods and it was believed she would not burn, to carry Prahad into a burning fire.The fire burnt Holika and Prahad was saved by the god Vishnu.

Holi is a celebration of Prahad’s escape, the pandit explained. The tradition of celebrating with colours comes from a legend which says Radha and the Hindu god Krishna celebrated the festival with colours.

PML-N MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani also joined in on the celebrations at the Krishna Mandir. Speaking after the celebrations, the MNA said the government was working on better protecting the rights of non-Muslims in the country.

“The celebration of Holi at the Krishna Mandir is an example of interfaith harmony as Muslims and Christians also joined their Hindu brothers and sisters. This is my first time celebrating Holi in Rawalpindi and I found it to be a great experience,” the MNA said.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2016