Traditions have always been a part and parcel of life for the people living in the serene beauty of the hills in Uttarakhand.
When the entire country has celebrated Diwali, Jaunsar Bhabar in this hill State celebrates Boodhi (Old ) Diwali. This begins exactly a month after Diwali is celebrated in other parts of the country. It is said that the news of lord Rama returning to Ayodhya and being crowned the king reached here late and that is the reason why Diwali is celebrated late here too.
As soon as the Diwali celebrations in Jaunsar conclude, it is time for Holi in the Kumaon region of the State. Holi begins in Kumaon as soon as the Paush month commences. While Christmas festivity is in the air everywhere, celebrations for the festival of colours begin in the Kumaon Himalayas . At the height of winter, on the first Sunday of the Indian month of Paush, begins the traditional Baithki Holi of Kumaon which brings a lot of warmth with its musical mehfils that brighten up the winter evenings in the hills every year.
Though Holi celebrations of Mathura and Vrindavan are very well-known, the special celebrations of Kumaon, though not so widely known, have features which are very different from Holi celebrations anywhere in the country. Holi in Kumaon is a festival of rhythm and melody. Kumaon's Baithki Holi is unique and nothing close to it is found in any other part of the country. Folk songs, of course, form a part of Holi celebrations elsewhere but ragas of Hindustani classical music make the Kumaoni Holi so different and fascinating.
Baithaks begin in households in the region and various ragas are sung .Most of these baithaks are attended by menfolk. Mahila Holi begins after the festival of Basant. In this, women visit their friends and they sing and dance to the tune of dhol and manjeera. For the rest of the country, Holi may be just a festival of colours but for the Kumaoni folk, it acquires an extremely rich dimension when it is linked to the ancient Hindustani Classical music. Raagas lend their depth and melody to the festival long before Holi is actually celebrated. Amid the severity of the winter, comes this melodious promise of spring when the hills are covered with flowers of various hues andPhagun finally arrives.
The Baithki Holi is also known as Nirvan Ki Holi. The Baithki Holi begins from the premises of temples, where Holiyars (the professional Holi singers) and everybody else gather to sing classical ragas. Ragas and raginis are the colours with which the Baithki Holi is celebrated. It is one of the most fascinating aspects of Kumaon's cultural heritage.
At noon, songs based on Peelu, Bhimpalasi and Sarang ragas are sung, while the evening is reserved for the songs based on ragas like Kalyan, Shyamkalyan and Yaman. The compositions are sung in Hindi, Brajbhasha and Kumaoni languages. A spiritual touch is evident in the choice of songs. The harmonium and tabla are important for the Baithki Holi. Baithaks are held in all Kumaoni households and are accompanied by lot of festivity and cheer. Some people get together in groups in the villages and sit around bonfires to sing ragas all night. Such bonfire baithaks are a special feature of this Holi.
After the Baithki Holi, begins the Khari Holi , a week before Holi, and this is when people get up and start dancing to celebrate the advent of spring in the hills. Mahila Holi also begins around this time. On the actual day of Holi, Holiyaron Ki Tolis, consisting young and old visit all the Kumaoni households and give their blessings. In cities, several days before the festival, professional dancers and singers arrange programmes which are attended by Kumaoni people in large numbers. Kumaonis residing anywhere in the country or abroad religiously celebrate the baithki, khari and Mahila Holis.
Among the popular songs of Kumaon Holi are Jhankaro, Jhankaro, Abke Phagun arj karat hun, Dil kar de matwaro, Tum ho braj ki sundar gori, Main mathura ko matwaro and Haan hanji haan, Seeta van mein akeli kaise rahi hai, kaise rahi din raat, kantak charan chalai seta van mein. Most of the songs are related to the life of Ram and Seeta and Radha and Krishna. Their spiritual nature gives the name Nirvan Ki Holi to Baithki Holi.