Some people even construct models of Holika and burn them in these bonfires. This ritual, like several others in Hinduism, symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.
Just as people in countries are sometimes segregated according to race or gender, the population of India has historically been segregated along lines of caste. The caste system ranks people into different classes and people of higher castes often receive more social and economic privileges than people of lower castes. Furthermore, caste is often hereditary. For example, a cobbler's son will most likely also be a cobbler, a maid's daughter will probably miss out on going to school and also grow up to be a maid. Although the Indian government has officially abolished the caste system, it is deeply ingrained in India's social environment. Indeed, customs that have lasted thousands of years do not disappear overnight.
During the Holi celebration, however, caste seems to temporarily disappear under a blanket of colors. Throngs of people from all different castes often crowd the streets and throw colors at each other indiscriminately. In the ideal scenario, the cobbler and the CEO are indistinguishably covered in powder such that they transcend their job titles and become just humans in the street, celebrating together in the new life borne of springtime.
