President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday (March 10) extended his greetings and good wishes to nation on the auspicious occasion of Holi.
"Wishing everyone a Happy Holi! The festival of colours, Holi is a celebration of spring and fraternity in our society. May it bring peace, joy and prosperity to everyone`s life," he tweeted.
Wishing everyone a #HappyHoli The festival of colours, Holi is a celebration of spring and fraternity in our society. May it bring peace, joy and prosperity to everyone’s life.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 10, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greetings and best wishes to the countrymen on the occasion of Holi. "Many congratulations to all of you on Holi, a festival of colour and joy. May this festival bring happiness in the lives of all the countrymen," PM Modi tweeted.
रंग, उमंग और आनंद के त्योहार होली की आप सभी को बहुत-बहुत बधाई। यह पर्व सभी देशवासियों के जीवन में खुशियों लेकर आए। pic.twitter.com/xfrfdNaduX
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 10, 2020
On March 4, the prime minister had tweeted that he would skip Holi events this year due to coronavirus outbreak. PM Modi took the decision after recommendations from experts, who have advised to reduce mass gatherings in order to crub the spread of the deadly virus.
"Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the spread of Covid-19. Hence, this year I have decided not to participate in any Holi Milan programme," he had tweeted.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other leaders across the country are also avoiding Holi Milan thus year in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring and is celebrated by splashing colours. The celebrations for Holi start a night before with Holika Dahan — a bonfire which is seen as a symbol of victory of good over evil. In Holika Dahan, people circle the fire and perform religious rituals. They also pray for the destruction of evil and remember demon Holika, who tried to burn Prahlad, who was her nephew, but was burnt instead in the same fire.
