Holi
Next: March 23, 2027
Spring arrives in every colour.
The story
Where it comes from
Holi is a Hindu spring festival kept in India, Nepal and across the Indian diaspora at the full moon of the month of Phalguna, in February or March, and it is mentioned in texts more than 2,000 years old. Two stories lie behind it. In one, the demon king Hiranyakashipu asks his sister Holika, who cannot be burned, to sit with his son Prahlada in a fire, because the boy worships Vishnu; Prahlada is saved and Holika burns. In the other, the young Krishna playfully smears colour on the face of his beloved Radha.
How it's celebrated
On the eve of Holi, people light bonfires called Holika Dahan to celebrate good overcoming evil. The next morning is the day of colours: friends, neighbours and strangers throw coloured powder and coloured water at each other, music plays and the usual rules relax for a day. Non-Hindus are often welcome to join in, and the festival is a joyful welcome to spring.
Did you know
- In Nepal, the hill districts including Kathmandu play Holi on the full-moon day itself, and the Terai plains the day after, each with its own public holiday.
- In Kathmandu the festival starts about a week early, when a tall pole hung with coloured cloth, the chir, is raised in Basantapur; it is burned on the night of the full moon.
- Holi is a holiday for central government offices in Delhi and one of the optional holidays offices elsewhere in India can choose.
The greeting
Happy Holi · होली की शुभकामनाएँ
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