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Holi is the Hindu “Festival of Colours”, celebrated on the Purnima (full moon) of the Hindu month of Phalguna — late February or March on the Gregorian calendar. It marks the arrival of spring, the legend of Prahlada and Holika, and Krishna’s playful colour-throwing in Braj.
When is Holi?
Holi falls on the day after the Purnima (full moon) of the Hindu lunisolar month of Phalguna (Phalgun), which corresponds to February–March on the Gregorian calendar. The festival is two days:
- Holika Dahan / Chhoti Holi — the evening of Phalguna Purnima; bonfires are lit to commemorate the burning of Holika.
- Rangwali Holi / Dhuleti — the following morning (the day after the full moon); the playing of colours.
The Hindu calendar is lunisolar — lunar months kept in step with the solar year by periodic adjustments — so the Gregorian date varies year to year within a roughly four-week window.
Upcoming Holi dates
Rangwali Holi dates (the day of colours) per Drik Panchang.
| Year | Holi (Rangwali) | Day of week |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | March 23, 2027 | Tuesday |
| 2028 | March 11, 2028 | Saturday |
| 2029 | March 1, 2029 | Thursday |
| 2030 | March 20, 2030 | Wednesday |
| 2031 | March 9, 2031 | Sunday |
History & origin
Holi is one of the oldest Hindu festivals, predating recorded history. It is mentioned in the 4th-century CE Jaimini Mimamsa and described in the 7th-century Sanskrit play Ratnavali by King Harsha. Two main legends underlie the celebration:
- Prahlada and Holika. The demon king Hiranyakashipu, having gained a boon making him near-invulnerable, demanded worship as a god. His son Prahlada remained devoted to Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu enlisted his sister Holika — who possessed a fire-resistant cloak — to sit with Prahlada on a pyre. The cloak protected Prahlada instead, and Holika was consumed by the flames. The Holika Dahan bonfire commemorates this victory of devotion over evil.
- Krishna and Radha. Young Krishna, self-conscious about his dark complexion compared with the fair Radha, was teased by his mother Yashoda into playfully smearing colour on Radha’s face. This act of mischief between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavan is the origin of the colour-play element — which is why Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, and Nandgaon (collectively Braj) host the most famous Holi celebrations.
Observance & traditions
- Holika Dahan bonfires — lit at moonrise on Phalguna Purnima; offerings of grain, coconut and ritual circumambulation are common.
- Gulal & coloured powders — dry powders thrown by hand or filled into balloons (pichkari); traditional gulal was made from turmeric, beetroot and neem.
- Pichkari (water guns) — used to spray coloured water; a near-universal Holi accessory for children.
- Sweets & food — gujiya (sweet fried dumpling), malpua, dahi bhalla, puran poli, and the spiced milk drink thandai (sometimes prepared with bhang, a cannabis paste, in regional traditions).
- Lathmar Holi (Barsana) — women playfully chase men with bamboo sticks; men shield themselves and try to colour the women.
- Phoolon ki Holi (Vrindavan) — a flower-petal version played in the Banke Bihari temple, especially during Ekadashi.
Sources & references
- Drik Panchang — Holi — authoritative Hindu calendar with Holika Dahan muhurat times.
- Encyclopædia Britannica — Holi — historical background and regional variations.
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 7 — primary source for the Prahlada and Hiranyakashipu narrative.
- King Harsha’s Ratnavali (7th century CE) — earliest detailed literary description of Holi colour-play.
FAQs
Holika Dahan is the bonfire ritual on the evening before Holi proper. The fire commemorates the burning of the demoness Holika — from whom the festival takes its name — while her devotee nephew Prahlada was protected by Vishnu. The next day, Rangwali Holi (the “playing of colours”) is what most people mean by “Holi”. Together the two days form the festival.
Holi falls on the Purnima (full moon) of the Hindu lunisolar month of Phalguna. The Hindu calendar is anchored to the moon but periodically corrected against the sun, so the Gregorian date drifts within a roughly four-week window from late February to late March each year. Holika Dahan is on Purnima night; the colour play is the following morning.
The most famous celebrations are in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh — Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon — closely associated with Krishna. Barsana is known for Lathmar Holi, where women playfully chase men with sticks. Other distinctive observances include Shigmo in Goa, Phaguwa in Bihar, Dol Jatra in West Bengal, and Royal Holi at the City Palace in Jaipur.
Traditional gulal was made from natural sources — turmeric (yellow), beetroot (red), neem (green) — and was skin-safe. Cheap industrial colours sold today can contain heavy metals, mica, glass, or alkaline dyes that irritate skin and eyes; reports of dermatitis and corneal injuries are common after Holi. Use certified herbal/natural colours, oil your skin and hair beforehand, and wear sunglasses for protection.
Thandai is a chilled milk drink flavoured with almonds, fennel, rose, saffron, cardamom and pepper, traditionally served on Holi. The festival-specific version is bhang thandai, made with a paste of cannabis leaves — legal in Holi context in some Indian states but not generally outside them. Plain thandai contains no bhang.
Legend says young Krishna, distressed by his dark blue complexion compared with the fair-skinned Radha, was advised by his mother Yashoda to playfully colour Radha’s face with whatever colours he wanted. The playful smearing of colour between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavan is the mythological source of the colour-play element — which is why Mathura and Vrindavan host the most famous celebrations.