`Dahi Handi` is a renowned dance of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh especially, celebrated in memory of Lord Krishna`s famous prank of stealing curd along with his group of friends. This dance festival is observed on the following day of Gokulashtami. Dahi means curd and Handi translates to earthen pot which is used to process and keep milk products. In Maharashtra state of India, Dahi Handi celebration is known as Gopalakala.
Performance of Dahi Handi
On the auspicious day, every individual house in the village hangs a pitcher full of curd on outside wall of their houses. A pitcher full of curd is also hanged at the entrance of the temple in the village. The boys of the village firstly visit the temple and break the pitcher. They all together consume the curd, later they visit the houses in the village. In front of each house, the group of boys forms a pyramid like structure standing on the shoulders of the strong ones. Few boys stand on the ground and make the first row, and the other boys stand on their shoulders making a second row. Then a small boy enacting as Krishna climbs up the two rows and thus reaches the hanging pot of curd. He then breaks the earthen pitcher and consumes the curd. There is an instant rush now also among the Bollywood celebrities, among the other boys to consume the curd and gather broken pieces of the pitcher. The villagers cherish a belief that by procuring these pieces of pitcher the milk supply would increase in the village.
Mythological Story of Dahi Handi
Mythological story of Dahi Kala celebration or `Dahi Handi` is associated with the younger days of Lord Krishna. During childhood, the curd used to be Krishna`s favourite. As he grew up, his love for curd escalated and young Krishna became notorious for stealing it. To satisfy their thirst for milk products, Krishna and his friends started eyeing the neighbourhood homes. The female folks became aware of their plan and started protecting their milk products by hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier. However, little Krishna and his team turned out to be smarter. They planned to form a human pyramid which played the role of a ladder. With the help of this human ladder they climbed up and reached the Handi. Since then this event has become a part of Indian folklore.
