Holi 2027होली

When is Holi?

Observed on Purnima of Phalgun (with Holika Dahan on previous evening). Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Holi means

Holi comes at the full moon of Phalguna, when winter ends and the spring harvest is near. It is two festivals in one: on the night of the full moon, Holika Dahan, a bonfire that celebrates the victory of devotion over arrogance; and the next morning, Dhulandi or Rangwali Holi, when people of every age and background throw colour on each other in a burst of joy.

Its stories — Prahlad saved from the fire, Krishna colouring Radha and the gopis in Braj — have one thing in common: love and faith outlast cruelty and pride. That is why Holi is also a day for letting go. Old quarrels are set aside, people embrace, and the colours briefly erase every difference of rank and status.

To keep Holi well is to keep its spirit: burn what is harmful in the fire of Holika, share colour and sweets with joy and respect, use colours that are safe for skin and nature, and never force colour on anyone who does not want it.

The story of Holi

The Bhagavata Purana tells of the asura king Hiranyakashipu, who had won a boon that made him almost impossible to kill and demanded that everyone worship him alone. His young son Prahlad remained devoted to Vishnu despite every threat. Hiranyakashipu tried again and again to kill the boy; at last his sister Holika, who had a boon (in many tellings a cloak) protecting her from fire, sat in a blazing pyre with Prahlad in her lap. The fire spared Prahlad and consumed Holika. Holika Dahan re-enacts that night, and Vishnu later appeared as Narasimha to protect Prahlad and end Hiranyakashipu's tyranny.

In Braj, Holi is the festival of Radha and Krishna. Krishna, dark-skinned, is said to have complained to his mother Yashoda that Radha was so fair; she laughingly told him to colour Radha's face with whatever colour he liked. Ever since, the play of colours in Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon is the play of Krishna with Radha and the gopis. In the south, the day is also remembered as the burning of Kama by Shiva (Kama Dahanam).

Holi puja vidhi, step by step

Holika Dahan is usually a community observance, with families joining the neighbourhood bonfire; rituals differ widely, so follow local custom. The next morning is for colours.

What you need

• Roli, akshat, haldi, flowers and a garland
• A lota of water and raw cotton thread (kachcha sut) to wind around the pyre
• New grain — ears of wheat or barley, and gram — to roast in the fire
• Coconut, batashe, jaggery and gulal
• Dry wood and cow-dung cakes (gobar ke uple) for the community pyre

When to do the puja

Holika Dahan is done after sunset on Phalguna Purnima, when Bhadra (vishti karana) is over or in its 'puchha' portion. In 2027 Bhadra covers the evening and much of the night of 21 March, so the dahan muhurat is late that night. Check the Panchang for your city before the fire is lit. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Worship the pyre. Before the fire is lit, offer water, roli, akshat, flowers, haldi and gulal to the Holika pyre, and remember Prahlad and Narasimha.
2. Wind the thread. Walk around the pyre three or seven times, winding the raw cotton thread around it.
3. Light the fire. At the muhurat the fire is lit. Offer coconut, new grain and batashe to the flames, and pray for the protection of the family.
4. Roast the new grain. Roast ears of wheat or gram in the fire and share them as prasad; some take home a little ash or an ember to light the hearth.
5. Play with colours next morning. On Dhulandi, begin by applying a little gulal to the feet of elders and seeking their blessing, then play with safe, natural colours, share gujiya and sweets, and visit friends.

Offerings & food: Gujia, mathri, dahi bhalla, puran poli, thandai, bhang pakoras

Mantras for Holi

Holi across India

Lathmar Holi at Barsana (women playfully beat men with sticks), Phoolon ki Holi at Vrindavan (flower petals), Dol Jatra in Bengal, Shigmo in Goa, Hola Mohalla by Sikhs at Anandpur Sahib

Braj (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon)

A season of Holi: Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandgaon, Phoolon wali Holi with flower petals in Vrindavan's temples, and Huranga at Dauji, culminating on Rangwali Holi.

West Bengal and Odisha

Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima: Radha-Krishna on a decorated swing, abir and song; in Bengal it is also the birth anniversary of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Shantiniketan holds Basanta Utsav.

Punjab

Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib on the day after Holi, with martial displays by the Nihang Sikhs, begun by Guru Gobind Singh.

Goa and Konkan

Shigmo: processions, folk dance and floats over several days.

Maharashtra

Holika is lit with puran poli as naivedya, and Rangpanchami five days later is the main day of colours in many places.

Manipur

Yaoshang: five days of festivities with the Thabal Chongba dance, sports and devotional song.

South India

Kama Dahanam, the burning of Kama by Shiva, is remembered with bonfires in parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Temples to visit for Holi

Banke Bihari TempleVrindavan, Uttar PradeshDwarkadhish Temple MathuraMathura, Uttar PradeshISKCON VrindavanVrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

Frequently asked questions