Holika Dahan

Holika Dahan also Kamudu pyre is celebrated by burning Holika, the devil. For many traditions in Hinduism, Holi celebrates the death of Holika in order to save Prahlad, and thus Holi gets its name. In olden days, people use to contribute a piece of wood or two for Holika bonfire.

Significance

The night before Holi, pyres are burnt in North India, Nepal and parts of South India in keeping with this tradition. The youth playfully steal all sorts of things and put them in Holika pyre.

It should also be noted that in some parts of India the day is actually called Holika . There are other activities associated with the story of Prahlad, but the burning of Holika is the one that we can most directly associate with Holi. Fire burnt on the eve of Holi (Holika Dahan) symbolizes the burning of Holika. The story as a whole is testament to the power of devotion (bhakta) over the evil represented by King Hiranyakashyapu, as Prahlad never lost his faith.

The Ritual

Days before the festival people start gathering wood and combustible materials for the bonfire in parks, community centers, near temples and other open spaces. On top of the pyre is an effigy to signify Holika who tricked Prahalad into the fire. Inside homes, people stock up on color pigments, food, party drinks and festive seasonal foods such as gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other regional delicacies.

Bonfire

A bonfire is a large but controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. The name "bonfire" is derived from the fact that bonfires were originally fires in which bones were burned.

Regional traditions

In many regions of continental Europe, bonfires are made traditionally on 16 January, the solemnity of John the Baptist, as well as on Saturday night before Easter. Bonfires are also a feature of Walpurgis Night in central and northern Europe, and the celebrations on the eve of St. John's Day in Spain. In Finland bonfires are tradition on Midsummer Eve and Easter, also in midst of May celebrations.

Alpine and Central Europe

Bonfire traditions of early spring, lit on the Sunday following Ash Wednesday (Funkensonntag), are widespread throughout the Alemannic German speaking regions of Europe and in parts of France. The burning of "winter in effigy" at the Sechseläuten in Zürich (introduced in 1902) is inspired by this Alemannic tradition. In Austria "Osterfeuer", Easter Fires, are widespread, but also regulated in some cities, districts and countries to hold down the resulting annual peak of PM10-dust immission. There are also "Sonnwendfeuer" (Solstice Fires) ignited on the evening of 21 June.

Bonfire (band)

Bonfire (originally Cacumen) is a German heavy metal band, founded in Ingolstadt, Germany in 1972 by Hans Ziller. Bonfire started 1986 from Cacumen where the members just changed the name into Bonfire because of the advice of the Record Company and the Management. The original founder Hans Ziller is still in Bonfire and is the only one who has the rights on the name Bonfire.

Biography

Cacumen (1972-1986)

In 1972, in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt the teenaged guitarist Hans Ziller, put together a rock band called Cacumen with his guitarist brother Karl and gathered a bunch of friends to complete the band. The name of the group was taken from a school test Hans had done and it translates from Latin as "the top of a mountain". For the next six years, the band played in small local venues, but formed a fan base in their hometown. In 1978, the group consisted of Hans and Karl on guitars, Horst Maier on guitar (in 1983, Maier's last name would become Maier-Thorn), Hans Hauptmann on bass and Hans Forstner on drums. When the band started searching for a replacement singer, Claus Lessmann, a fellow student of Hans', was hired.

Bonfire (song)

"Bonfire" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released in May 2009 as the third single from his album That's Why. It is only available on later presses of the album. The song entered the top 40 on the U.S. country charts in June 2009. It is his sixteenth single release. A Christmas version with new lyrics was released on November 24, 2009. Morgan wrote the song with Kevin Denney, Tom Botkin and Mike Rogers.

Content

"Bonfire" is an up-tempo with electric guitar accompaniment. In it, the narrator describes a summertime party around a bonfire. The partiers are described in the first verse, while the second verse tells of a police officer showing up, causing the partiers to hide their beers. The officer then takes a beer himself and states that he "came to hang out / at the bonfire, out in the sticks[…]".

Reception

The song received mixed reviews. Andrew Lacy of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-down rating. He described it as an "annual summer ritual of artists and labels competing to see who can release the most popular anthem by attempting to recapture the fun and flavor of [Morgan's 2005 single] 'Redneck Yacht Club'." Lacy also said that the lyrics, melody and production were "forgettable", and that the heavy production made Morgan shout instead of sing. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave a more favorable review. Although he also said that the song was similar in theme to "Redneck Yacht Club", he said that its heavier production made it stand out on the re-released album, and gave it an "exciting" sound.