Students Celebrate Holi, Told To Maintain Their Culture

Students of Labasa Sangam Primary School have been encouraged by their assistant head teacher Hemant Jass to maintain their culture.

During a short Holi celebration at the school, Mr Jass delivered a speech to enlighten 450 stu- dents from Years One to Eight on the significance of Holi.

“Since we are a faith-based school consisting of a majority of Hindu students, we encourage them to maintain their culture and tradition,” Mr Jass said.

“The story of Holi, the festival of colours is like this; there was a powerful king named Hiranyakashipu. He was a devil and was hated for his cruelty. He considered himself to be God and wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship him like one.

“However, his own son, Prahlada, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship his father. “Angry with the disobedience of his son, Hiranyakashipu tried killing his son a number of times, but nothing worked. He then asked his evil sister, Holika, for help.

“Holika possessed a special power of being immune to fire. So, to kill Prahlada, she tricked him into sitting with her on a pyre.

“But due to her evil intentions, her power became ineffective and she was burned to ashes.

“On the other hand, Prahlada gained this immunity and was saved.

“This is why the first day of Holi is celebrated as Holika Dahan and symbolises the victory of good over evil.”

The school located four kilometres away from Labasa Town was among the few faith-based schools that celebrated Holi in a small way.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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