Holi, widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, is an annual celebration at the advent of spring that combines religious meaning with public festivities in countries across South Asia and among Hindu communities around the world. The festival is observed in March and is tied to the Hindu luni-solar calendar, which means the date shifts with the lunar cycle. This year, Holi is set for March 4, aligning with the last full moon day of the month of Falgun.
One widely known Holi tradition brings people out into streets and towns—often dressed in white—where they throw colored powders at one another, creating a mix of pigments across the day. People also use other methods to spread color, including flinging balloons filled with colored water from rooftops and using squirt guns. Throughout the festivities, chants such as “Holi hai!”—which can be heard in celebrations across communities—are associated with the holiday, and the event typically includes music, dancing and food.
In many parts of India, Holi is preceded by bonfires lit the night before the festival, a practice that symbolizes the destruction of evil and the victory of good. One traditional story linked to that observance centers on Hiranyakashipu, who ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship him. The story says he became angry when his son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, disobeyed that command, and Hiranyakashipu then instructed his sister Holika—who was said to be immune from fire—to take the child into a bonfire while holding him in her lap. In the version associated with the tradition, devotion to Lord Vishnu protects Prahlad and leaves him unscathed, while Holika, despite her immunity, burns to death.
Other regional traditions describe Holi’s prelude through different mythological references. In southern India, the event is known as Kama Dahanam, commemorating Lord Shiva burning Kamadeva, the god of love, with his third eye. That retelling is presented as symbolizing the destruction of lust and other earthly attachments for a higher spiritual purpose, which comes before the day of colors.
Communities also connect Holi to stories about Lord Krishna and his love for Radha, as well as his cosmic play with devotees called “gopikas,” who are described in the tradition as being revered for their unconditional love and devotion. In addition to these mythological roots, Holi is often described as a celebration of love and a time of rebirth and rejuvenation—an occasion to embrace positive energy while letting go of negative energy as winter gives way to spring.
For the day itself, Holi celebrations typically fill public spaces with people throwing colored powders in the air, and they often include community gatherings, meals and social events. The festival also draws on food traditions, including gujia, described as a flaky, deep-fried sweet pastry stuffed with milk curd, nuts and dried fruits. Another commonly featured drink is thandai, described as a cold drink made with almonds, fennel seeds, rose petals, poppy seeds, saffron, milk and sugar.
Holi is also observed among Hindu communities in the diaspora, including in North America, where celebrations often feature social gatherings, Bollywood parties and parades. In some places, U.S. temples observe Holika Dahan—observances associated with the night before Holi—on dates such as March 2 or March 3 to line up with the full moon day, and the timing can coincide with a rare combination of astronomical events, including a total lunar eclipse.