Holi in India in 2024


  How long until Holi?
Holi
  Dates of Holi in India
2025 Mar 14
Arunachal PradeshFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
BiharFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
ChandigarhFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
ChhattisgarhFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
DelhiFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
GoaFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
GujaratFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
HaryanaFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
Himachal PradeshFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
Jammu and KashmirFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
JharkhandFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
MaharashtraFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
MeghalayaFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
MizoramFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
NagalandFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
OdishaFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
PunjabFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
RajasthanFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
TripuraFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
UttarakhandFri, Mar 14Regional Holiday
2024 Mar 25, Mar 26, Mar 27
BiharWed, Mar 27Regional Holiday (additional day)
BiharTue, Mar 26Regional Holiday
OdishaTue, Mar 26Regional Holiday
Andhra PradeshMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
Arunachal PradeshMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
ChandigarhMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
ChhattisgarhMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
DelhiMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
GoaMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
GujaratMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
HaryanaMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
Himachal PradeshMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
Jammu and KashmirMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
JharkhandMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
Madhya PradeshMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
MaharashtraMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
MeghalayaMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
MizoramMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
OdishaMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
PunjabMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
RajasthanMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
TelanganaMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
TripuraMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
UttarakhandMon, Mar 25Regional Holiday
2023 Mar 7, Mar 8, Mar 9
BiharThu, Mar 9Regional Holiday (additional day)
Andhra PradeshWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
Arunachal PradeshWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
AssamWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
BiharWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
ChandigarhWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
ChhattisgarhWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
DelhiWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
GoaWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
GujaratWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
HaryanaWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
Himachal PradeshWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
Jammu and KashmirWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
JharkhandWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
Madhya PradeshWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
MaharashtraWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
MeghalayaWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
MizoramWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
OdishaWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
PunjabWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
SikkimWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
TripuraWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
UttarakhandWed, Mar 8Regional Holiday
RajasthanTue, Mar 7Regional Holiday
TelanganaTue, Mar 7Regional Holiday
2022 Mar 18, Mar 19
BiharSat, Mar 19Regional Holiday (additional day)
Jammu and KashmirSat, Mar 19Regional Holiday (additional day)
OdishaSat, Mar 19Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshSat, Mar 19Regional Holiday (additional day)
Andhra PradeshFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
Arunachal PradeshFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
BiharFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
ChandigarhFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
ChhattisgarhFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
DelhiFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
GoaFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
GujaratFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
HaryanaFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
Himachal PradeshFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
Jammu and KashmirFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
JharkhandFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
Madhya PradeshFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
MaharashtraFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
MeghalayaFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
MizoramFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
NagalandFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
PunjabFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
RajasthanFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
SikkimFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
TripuraFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
UttarakhandFri, Mar 18Regional Holiday
2021 Mar 29, Mar 30
BiharTue, Mar 30Regional Holiday (additional day)
Andhra PradeshMon, Mar 29Government Holiday
Arunachal PradeshMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
BiharMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
ChandigarhMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
ChhattisgarhMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
DelhiMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
GoaMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
GujaratMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
HaryanaMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
Himachal PradeshMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
Jammu and KashmirMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
JharkhandMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
Madhya PradeshMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
MaharashtraMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
MeghalayaMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
MizoramMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
NagalandMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
OdishaMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
PunjabMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
RajasthanMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
SikkimMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
TelanganaMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
TripuraMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
Uttar PradeshMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
UttarakhandMon, Mar 29Regional Holiday
  Summary

Originally a harvest and fertility festival, Holi also commemorates a legend from Hindu Mythology

  Holi in other countries
Holi internationally
  Which regions observe Holi in 2024?
National Holiday Regional Holiday Not a public holiday Govt Holiday
Related holidays

When is Holi?

The Hindu 'festival of colours', Holi, is celebrated on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month, which usually falls in early March.

Holi is also known in some states as Doljatra, or Dola Purnima. In Nepal, it is known as Fagu Purnima.

It is also a public holiday called Phagwah in the South American countries of Guyana and Suriname.

The day before Holi is known as Holi Dahan and can be a holiday in some states.

History of Holi

Holi was originally a festival to celebrate the start of Spring, good harvests and fertility of the land. The first mentions of it date back to a poem from the 4th century.

Holi was described in a 7th century Sanskrit play called "Ratnavali," written by the Indian emperor Harsha.

"Witness the beauty of the great cupid festival which excites curiosity as the townsfolk are dancing at the touch of brownish water thrown ... Everything is coloured yellowish red and rendered dusty by the heaps of scented powder blown all over," wrote Harsha.

Today it is better known as a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology.

The story is that there was once a king who resented his son, Prince Prahlada, worshipping Lord Vishnu. He tries to murder the prince on several occasions but fails each time.

Finally, the king's sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning sits with the boy inside a fire. However, the prince emerges unhurt, while his aunt burns in the fire and dies.

Holi Dahan remembers this event, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as a symbolic representation of Holika's cremation.

The festival is also associated with the eternal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation.

How is Holi celebrated?

Holi is marked by colourful parades accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of relaxed fun.

Nowadays Holi is an excuse for young Indians to shed their inhibitions and caste differences for a day of fun. Teenagers spend the day flirting and misbehaving in the streets, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly coloured powder and water over each other.

The tradition of throwing brightly coloured powder and water is said to come from the love story between two Hindu gods, Radha and Krishna. Krishna is famously depicted as having bright blue skin and the legend has it that he was sad he didn't have a fair complexion like Radha. He told his mother about this and she suggested that instead of wishing for fair skin, he should instead smear Radha with paint, so they both have coloured skin; hence the tradition of trying to 'colour' others as a sign of affection at Holi.

The colours of the powders have symbolic meanings. Blue represents Krishna, Red represents love and fertility, green symbolises spring and new growth and yellow is the colour of turmeric, a spice native to India and a natural remedy.

The festival begins on the night of the full moon. Fires are lit on street corners to cleanse the air of evil spirits and bad vibes, and to symbolize the destruction of the wicked Holika, after whom the festival was named.

The following morning, the streets fill with people running, shouting, giggling and splashing. The evenings are spent visiting friends and family.

Holi Food and Drink

During Holi it’s all about sweet treats, presumably to keep up everyone's energy with all that powder throwing. To fuel the revellers, big batches of desserts are served up, such as Gujiya, flaky pastry parcels filled with dried fruit, served with sugar syrup; malpua, deep-fried mini pancakes; and thandai, a sweet, milky drink flavoured with the likes of cardamom, saffron, fennel seeds and rosewater.

Bhang is the name of a traditional Indian cannabis-infused drink often consumed during Holi, mixed with creamy lassi or thandai.

While cannabis is technically illegal in India, the law banning the consumption of the plant neglects to mention the leaves, the part used to make bhang.


Did you know?

Three facts about Holi

The word Holi is derived from the word 'Holika', who was the demonic sister of King Hiranyakashipu and was burned to death with the help of Vishnu.

During the festival, people are heard saying 'Bura na mano, Holi hai!' which means 'do not mind, it’s Holi', which acts as a way of avoiding any responsibility for any pranks played on Holi.

Doljatra is essentially the same festival as Holi, but has added emphasis as it is the last festival of the Bengali year.

More facts about Holi

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