Hinduism: How Can Hindus Eat Meat on Holi

Someone asked how could non-vegetarian Hindus eat meat on the day of Holi festival. Is the festival not supposed to be religious in nature and hence non-veg food should be avoided? That is a fair question and we should think about it. 

First of all, vegetarians and non-vegetarians folks exist in all religions. India and Hindus have a diverse society. Different sets of Hindus can practice different practices and are still Hindus. This aspect of Hinduism can become confusing to those with Western ideological influence. But, it can be understood with time. Hinduism is not an exclusivist or a rigid religion - it allows its practitioners to follow different 'paths' and still work towards the same 'goal'. Therefore, one should never be surprised to find two Hindus, one vegetarian and one non-vegetarian, and both trying to say how their habits are good and as per their religion. So we shall leave it at that. 

Eating habits are personal choices and influenced by several factors like cultural, regional, economic and market driven. I believe along with a lot others that vegetarianism is much better option and must be practiced by all as much as possible. At the same time, when I find non-vegetarians, I do not ridicule or call them evil. 

In general, even non-vegetarian or meat-eating Hindus avoid eating non-veg food or meat on the days of religious festivals. A lot of them also do not eat meat on some specific days of the week which have religious significance - e.g. Tuesdays or Thursdays. 

Now, coming to Holi. The festival of Holi is not a 'one day' event. It spreads over several days depending on the region and local cultural. But most important and popular days are two. One day of "Holika Dahan" on which Holika is symbolically burnt as a symbol of all things evil and bad burning and only the truthful and pious surviving. This is done in the evening or night time. The next day after the Holika Dahan night is called "Rang Utsav" or even Dulheldi and some other names depending on the region. On this day, celebration is made with "color". This is why Holi is called "festival of colors". 

Like most other Hindu festivals, the timing of Holi festival is "scientific". Holi marks the "spring" season and is popularly called "festival of spring" (Vasant Utsav). The festival signifies the arrival of spring, the end of winter, and a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. The festival also celebrates the beginning of a good harvest season; given that India was an agrarian society. 

The day on which people celebrate it with color; is the day of unhindered enjoyment and fun. This is essentially "unrestricted". On this day, there is no boundary of rich and poor; educated and illiterate; fair skinned or dark skinned, or elders and youngers. Everyone is "same" on this day. Symbolically, after face is painted with color, no one can identify the other and hence all become one and equal. This is why Holi is called festival of communal harmony. There is no surprise that Holi is not only celebrated by Hindus alone but by people from other religions in India as well. 

Now, on this day, the non-vegetarian Hindus prepare special non-vegetarian dishes and enjoy. This is very similar to the fact that the vegetarian Hindus prepare special vegetarian dishes and enjoy. "Pua" is a special delicacy and "dahi vada" is another one; especially prepared on this day. No one looks at such food prepared to treat family and guests as "vegetarian" or "non vegetarian" food. Whatever is the food, it must be best on this day.

Now coming to the specific question about "how meat can be cooked on the day of a festival". First of all, Holi's Rang Utsav day on which color is played; no special "religious" pooja or other religious practices are followed. Holi is not a typical religious day to "pray" and "worship". It is rather the day to celebrate life. Therefore, this "vegetarian" or "non-vegetarian" differentiation between food is not a valid question at all on this day. We should leave it as one's personal choice to eat vegetarian or non-vegetarian food on this day too.  

Happy Holi to all! 

- Rahul