Festival · Krishna and Radha

Holi

The festival of colours, the day after Holika Dahan. It welcomes spring and recalls Krishna’s play with Radha and the gopis.

Holi 2027: Monday 22 March 2027; New Delhi

City

For New Delhi, Monday 22 March 2027

Krishna Pratipada tithi

Begins: 4:14 pm
Ends: 2:29 pm, 23 Mar

Sunrise: 6:23 am
Sunset: 6:33 pm
Moonrise: 6:42 pm
Moonset: Not this day

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

Play with colours
Share gujiya and other sweets
Visit friends and make up old quarrels

What it remembers

Holi comes with the full moon of Phalguna, at the turn from winter to spring. On the night before, the Holika fire is lit; the next morning, Rangwali Holi, every street is a riot of gulal and coloured water, and old quarrels are forgiven with sweets and an embrace.

Prahlad and Holika

The demon king Hiranyakashipu could not bear that his son Prahlad worshipped Vishnu. His sister Holika, who had a boon against fire, sat in a pyre with the boy in her lap; Prahlad kept chanting Vishnu’s name and walked out unharmed while Holika burned. The bonfire of Holika Dahan remembers the night faith outlasted the fire.

Krishna and Radha’s colours

Krishna, dark-skinned, is said to have asked his mother Yashoda why Radha was so fair, and she told him to colour Radha’s face whatever shade he liked. The play of colour between Krishna, Radha and the gopis of Vrindavan is the Holi of Braj, where the festival is still kept for over a week.

Kamadeva burnt and restored

In the south the day is Kamadahana: Shiva, roused from meditation by Kamadeva’s arrow, burnt him to ash with his third eye, then restored him for Rati’s sake as a bodiless spirit. The fire of Holi is sometimes called Kama’s pyre.

Dhundhi and the children

An old tale of Raghu’s kingdom tells of the ogress Dhundhi, who could be driven off only by the shouts and pranks of children. The noise, the drumming and the licence of Holi, when children run wild and elders forgive, are traced to her rout.

Holika Dahan and the colours

The festival runs over two days: the fire on the full moon evening and the colours the next morning. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

In the days before, gather wood and cow-dung cakes for the Holika pyre, built on a crossroads or an open ground, with an effigy of Holika on top.
On the evening of Holika Dahan, in Pradosh Kaal while Purnima holds and Bhadra has passed, the eldest lights the fire. The time for your city is on the Holika Dahan page.
Walk round the fire with water, roli, rice, flowers and a garland of cow-dung cakes; roast new wheat and chana in it, and carry a little of the fire home.
Next morning, Rangwali Holi: begin with gulal on the feet of elders and the faces of family, then out into the street with colours, pichkaris and water.
Play with natural colours where you can: turmeric and gram flour for yellow, dried palash or rose for red, henna for green, beetroot for pink.
By afternoon, bathe and change; visit relatives and neighbours with gujiya, thandai, malpua and dahi bhalla, and let go of old grievances.
In the evening, families meet for Holi Milan: new clothes, sweets, and an embrace for everyone.

What you need

Gulal and natural colours, and pichkaris for the children
Wood and cow-dung cakes for the pyre, and roli, rice and flowers for its puja
New wheat and chana to roast
Gujiya, thandai and other sweets to share
Old clothes for the morning, new ones for the evening

Across India

Braj (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana)

A week and more of Holi: the Lathmar Holi of Barsana and Nandgaon, Phoolon ki Holi at Banke Bihari, and Huranga at Baldeo.

Punjab

Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib, begun by Guru Gobind Singh: martial arts, mock battles and kirtan on the day after Holi.

Bengal and Odisha

Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima: Krishna and Radha are carried on a swing in procession, with abir and song; it falls on the full moon day itself.

Maharashtra

Shimga, with the fire on the full moon night, and Rang Panchami five days later for the colours; in Konkan, the palkhi processions of the village gods.

Rajasthan and Gujarat

Royal Holi at Udaipur, the Gair dance of Marwar, and in Gujarat the breaking of the matki of buttermilk hung high in the streets.

Manipur

Yaoshang, six days of Holi: the thabal chongba dance under the moon, and children going from house to house for gifts.

South India

Kamadahana or Kama Dahanam, kept quietly with a fire on the full moon night; Holi colours have spread to the cities in recent decades.

When it falls

The day after Holika Dahan.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Holi in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

2027Monday 22 March 2027
2028Saturday 11 March 2028

Questions

When is Holi in 2027?

Monday 22 March 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Holi fall?

The day after Holika Dahan. It comes in Phalguna.

How is Holi kept?

Families play with colours, share gujiya and other sweets and visit friends and make up old quarrels. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Holi?

Krishna and Radha. The festival of colours, the day after Holika Dahan. It welcomes spring and recalls Krishna’s play with Radha and the gopis.

When is Holika Dahan?

On the evening before Holi, the full moon of Phalguna, in Pradosh Kaal while Purnima holds and once Bhadra has passed. The Holika Dahan page shows the time for your city.

Why does Holi fall on a different date each year?

It follows the Hindu lunar calendar, on the day after the full moon of Phalguna, which moves against the civil calendar. Holi falls in late February or March.

Is Holi the same as Dol Jatra and Rang Panchami?

Dol Jatra in Bengal and Odisha is kept on the full moon day itself, a day before northern Holi. Rang Panchami in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh comes five days after, and is the main day of colours there.

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