Festival · 2026
Holi 2026 — Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Holi is the festival of colours, played the morning after Holika Dahan to welcome spring, renew friendships and remember Radha and Krishna.
In 2026
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:43 AM / 6:22 PM
- Holika Dahan: 3 March 2026
Rule: The day after Holika Dahan (Chaitra Krishna Pratipada in the purnimanta reckoning), the day of colours.
In 2027
Monday, 22 March 2027
- Sunrise / sunset
- 6:23 AM / 6:33 PM
- Holika Dahan: 21 March 2027
Rule: The day after Holika Dahan (Chaitra Krishna Pratipada in the purnimanta reckoning), the day of colours.
Times follow New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. In other cities the muhurat shifts by some minutes, and occasionally the day by one. Full festival calendar
What is Holi?
Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated the morning after Holika Dahan, on Chaitra Krishna Pratipada in the purnimanta calendar. It is one of the most widely loved Hindu festivals: streets fill with people throwing coloured powder (gulal) and water at friends, family and strangers alike. It is also called Dhulandi, Dhulivandan or Rangwali Holi, and it marks the arrival of spring in full.
The colours are most closely tied to Krishna. Tradition tells that the young, dark-skinned Krishna worried that fair Radha would not accept him, and his mother Yashoda playfully suggested he colour Radha’s face in whatever shade he liked. That playful colouring became a custom in Braj, the land of Krishna’s childhood. Holi also carries the story of Prahlad from the night before: after the fire, the new day begins in celebration.
Holi’s social meaning is as important as its religious one. For a day, the usual lines of age, caste and rank loosen; people visit neighbours, set aside old quarrels and embrace. In many homes the day ends with a bath, fresh clothes and visits to relatives with sweets. It is a festival of renewal, of the season and of the relationships that carry a community through the year.
How it is observed
- Playing with dry gulal and coloured water, in many places from morning until around midday.
- Visiting friends, neighbours and relatives, and applying a little colour as a greeting.
- Preparing gujiya, malpua, dahi bhalla and thandai.
- Singing phag and other Holi songs, often with a dholak, at community gatherings.
- Bathing and changing into fresh clothes after the colours, then visiting elders in the evening.
- Choosing natural or skin-safe colours, which many families now prefer.
How the date is fixed
Holi is played on the day after Holika Dahan. In the purnimanta calendar used across north India, this is Chaitra Krishna Pratipada, the first day of the waning Moon after Phalguna Purnima. Our calendar first fixes Holika Dahan, by the full Moon, the evening pradosh window and Bhadra, and Holi is the following day. When Holika Dahan moves because of Bhadra, Holi moves with it.
Where practice differs
In the Braj region around Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon, Holi stretches over more than a week, including Lathmar Holi and Phoolon wali Holi. In West Bengal and Odisha the full Moon itself is Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima, when images of Radha and Krishna are carried on swings and colours are played, so the colour day there can fall a day earlier than in north India. Maharashtra also celebrates Rangpanchami five days later, and in the amanta calendar the day after Phalguna Purnima is counted as Phalguna Krishna Pratipada.
Dates and times are computed by our own engine (sunrise, tithi and kalas for New Delhi, Lahiri ayanamsa). In another city, or in an almanac of another tradition, the day can differ by one — follow your family’s tradition.
Questions people ask
Is Holi on the full Moon or the day after?
Holika Dahan is on the evening of Phalguna Purnima, and Holi, the day of colours, is the next day. In Bengal and Odisha, the colours of Dol Purnima are played on the full Moon itself.
Why is Holi called the festival of colours?
Tradition links the colours to Krishna and Radha in Braj, where Krishna playfully coloured Radha’s face. The custom of throwing gulal and coloured water grew from there into a festival of spring.
Why does the Holi date change every year?
Holi depends on the lunar calendar, since it follows Phalguna Purnima and the timing of Holika Dahan, so its place in the solar calendar moves each year. The date for this year is shown above.