Holi
Hindu spring festival of colours / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Holi (Hindi pronunciation: ['hoːli:]) is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.[1][9][10][11] It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the god Radha and Krishna.[12][13] Additionally, the day also signifies the triumph of good over evil,[14][15] as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu.[16][17] Holi is originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.[10][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
| Holi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observed by | Hindus,[1] Sikhs, Jains,[2][3] and others[4] |
| Type | Religious, cultural, spring festival |
| Significance |
|
| Celebrations | Night before Holi: Holika Dahan or Kama Dahan On Holi: Playing with coloured powder and water, dancing, greetings, festival delicacies[5] |
| Date | Phalguna Purnima |
| 2023 date | 8 March in India 7 March in Nepal (hilly region) 8 March in Nepal (terai region)[6][7] 7 March in Nepal[8] |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Hola Mohalla, Shigmo and Yaosang |
Hindu festival dates The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. Iff a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
Holi also celebrates the arrival of Spring in India, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love.[18][25] It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season.[18][25] It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (Full Moon Day) falling in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar.