Holi forever- some facts

Fri Feb 9 00:33:01 UTC 1996

What about some facts?

As I do not have an older pre-colonial or pre-Muslim (?!) description of 
Holi at my hands (anyone? we should check the early Nibandhas or the  
Kaavyas) I offer something I have been working on recently:  a much 
older, c. 2500 years old description ---- by Brahmins for Brahmins but 
``graphic`` enough --- of another year-end festival/ritual,  the winter 
solstice rite of Mahaavrata (at the end of the year  long Gavaam Ayana 
ritual). This description, taken from the Aapastamba Shrautasutra of the 
Black Yajurveda is ``smrti`` in the technical, traditional Hindu sense, 
but some shorter  versions of this Sattra ritual are found in the Sruti 
as well: in the Samhitas and Brahmanas --- again composed by Brahmins for 
Brahmins and therefore definitely above all ``colonial`` (but certainly 
not anti-Shudra!) suspicion.

Enjoy the musical chaos, the social upheavel and the (almost!) sexual 
liberty -- this is a sanctified srauta rite, after all... -- all of which 
we are used  to in ``carnivals`` from ancient and present Europe to 
Brazil, from  the Dayaks in Indonesia to medieval Japan... I have 
witnessed these things myself in the Rhineland (Germany), during Holi and 
similar festivals in Nepal < with the worst obscenities shouted in the 
streets, of course only during the festival>,  and a colleague has told 
me the story of his Holi in Benares where he, after having had the common 
dosis of bhang the night before with his Hindu hosts, awoke up next 
morning on the roof terrace of his hosts, with no memory of last night 
and, equally, sans culottes, -- the women of teh household smiling at 
him; he summarized his experience: ``after that, I was accepted by 
all...``   

A quick translation runs like this. Remember, all of this is part of a 
Soma ritual!)
Aapastamba Zrauta Suutra 21.9.1 sqq.

When the stotra belonging to the Mahendra drink < thus at noon> has been 
"driven" near, 'all voices sound'.  
2. The offerers (participants of the Sattra, all Yajamaanas) raise a loud 
shouting din. 
3. The wives play the ApaaghaaTalikas, Tamil lutes, and the Piccholaas.
4. The lute players sound their conches, reed flutes, and flutes.
5. The Veda student and the prostitute fight, clinging to the right door 
post. [According to the Saamavedic DraahyaayaNa Zrauta Suutra 11.3.9.10: 
The prostitute shall say: "You who has behaved badly! You, who has broken 
the vow of chastity!" and the student should answer: "Shame on you! 
despicable one! Whore!  You who 'washes off" the community of the graama 
(settlement), who washes off the penis of men!"] 
6. The prostitute and the native of the Magadha land (Southern Bihar) get 
together (for sex).
7. There is a chariot race. 
8. One beats the (large) drums, and the earth drum with the tail piece.
9. The Arya and the Zuudra tear at the leather piece, which is wet, white 
and cut of in a round shape: the Brahmin standing inside and the Zuudra 
outside the Vedi.
10. The Zuudra denigrates, the Brahmin praises.
11. The Brahmin says: "These [offerers of the Sattra] have succeeded, 
they have gained wealth"; the Zuudra: "These have brought destruction, 
have brought damage." << one of the few cases where the lower classes 
speak out!! >>
12. After the Brahmin has overcome the Zuudra, he throws the leather 
piece into the aagniidhra hut.
13. The armored (nobility) drive around the skin which is spread out as 
aim. 
14. The Adhvaryu orders each one of them "Don't miss! Do not shoot too far!"
15. When they shoot, they take care not to shoot too far.
16. According to some, it is the princes who shoot.
17. After they have driven north a distance, open to choice,  they turn 
back and unharness their horses. 
18. At this moment the servant women  put their pitchers, filled with 
water, on their head, and go dancing three times around the maarjaliiya 
hut, turning their right side towards it, stamping on the ground with 
their right foot, singing the song, "here is the sweet".         
19. According to [the ritualist teacher] Aazmarathya, they should only 
sing: "Here is the sweet stemming from the bee, here is the pressed out 
Soma, drink of it; they satisfy themselves. Hey, the pleasure! Here is 
the sweet, here is the sweet!"
21.20.
1. According to Aalekhana, two of the girls should sing the Hillukaa 
song, two the Himbinii, two the Hastaavaaraa, and two the "Year" song.
4. The exclamations "Hey, pleasure!" "Here is sweet!" and "Hillu, hillu!" 
are added to the end of each verse.
5. Then the servant girls pour out the pitchers near the (Maarjaliiya) 
and go away.
6. With the end of the stotra, the sound stops <<thus Veda recitation 
plus all the din mentioned above... just as the ``mangal dhun`` -- read 
din -- during teh royal consecration of King Birendra of Nepal 1975>.
7. The Adhvaryu makes the response to the zastra of the Hotar after he 
has sat down on the two boards or the bushels of grass, with two verses. 
8. This is the end of the Mahaavrata day.

21.21.6 On the ViSuuvat day (summer solstice) the same (soma) drinks, 
first in rising, then in reverse order... 

====================================For those who still want to read on:

AApastambaZS 21.7: preparations for the Mahaavrata day. 

1. [After the end of the ten days of the twelve day period at the end of 
the year long Sattra] one performs the Mahaavrata day... 
4. [While singing the Parimaad Saamans], the wives [of the offerers 
participating in the Sattra] join.
5.-7. While taking out the Soma drinks for Indra and the Maruts ... the 
Pratiprasthaatar priest puts the "ornaments" (zilpa) to be used during 
the Mahaavrata, each at its location. 
8-10. One has made ten holes in the staff of a lute made of the wood of a 
fig tree. He ties ten strings of munja grass each to each hole. This is 
the lute with 100 strings.
11. Others use a lute with 33 strings. 
12. For the Udgaatar he puts down a "throne" of udumbara wood, with a 
seat made of woven munja grass..
13. .. for the Hotar he makes a swing of Udumbara wood, which he fixes 
above with a string of munja grass.
14. For the Adhvaryu he puts down two boards of Udumbara wood or two 
tufts of grass.
16. The wives get ready the ApaaghaaTalika, the Tamil lutes and the 
Piccholaa.
17. The lute players also get the conches, bamboo flutes, wooden flutes 
ready.
18. A Veda student and a prostitute get ready, who will have a fight in 
front of the right door post of the Sadas (hut). 
19. In the northern "hip" part of the Mahaavedi [i.e. in the 
northwest/southwest corner] one portions off a room for the prostitute 
and the native of the Magadha land.
21.18
1. In the various directions of the sky (E.-S.-W.-N.) they put down 
(large) drums, or at the corners of the Mahaavedi. 
2. Behind the aagniidhra hut one digs the hole for the earth drum, one 
half of it being inside, the other half outside the Vedi.
3. On this hole one spreads a wet skin, with the hairy side above, and 
fixes it all around with pins in the ground, and puts down the tail used 
for drumming next to it. 
4. In front of the aagniidhra hut, an Aarya and a Zuudra stand ready, in 
order to pull at the round, cut of leather piece. 
5. North of the aagniidhra hut, one spreads a wet skin on a mat of bamboo 
scaffold and erects its [to be used as the aim for bow shooting]
6. The armored [princes and sons of the nobility] fix their girdles 
(standing) on their chariots, in front of the aahavaniiya.
7. Near the maarjaliiya hut, 8 servant girls get ready, with pitchers 
full of water.
8-9. After the Adhvaryu has recited "speech is favorable, mind is 
favorable, maana is favorable: all this may be favorable to us!" he 
sounds the lute, beating it with a three-section piece of UtkaTa (reed etc.)
10-12 <other priests do the same> 

==========================

Of course, I could go on quite a while with other sacred Vedic rituals and 
texts, but much of that will come out soon in an article dealing with ancient 
prose/metric texts.
[B
The other texts are much more ``explicit`` -- just think of the 
Azvamedha... which has some features of this festival as well.

MW>