Holi Festival
What: The festival of colour, Holi sees Lord Vishnu’s victory of good over evil commemorated as people spend a full day throwing coloured water, paste and coloured powder over each other – in a care-free celebration that also marks the end of winter and beginning of Spring.
Beginning with a pre-evening bonfire where wood and dry leaves are burnt, representing the cleansing of evil, the day is also accompanied with dancing, music and family gatherings – as everyone, young and old, dons white t‑shirts, grabs their water pistols and coloured paste and engages in the colour wars that is the fun-filled event of Holi – with tourists in particularly being warned to expect extra attention.
When: Holi is celebrated over the course of two days and takes place the day after the full moon marking the end of winter and the beginning of Spring – you can normally expect the celebrations to begin in early March.
Where: While Holi celebrations take place globally its true home is in India, with the whole of the country celebrating Holi in colourful fashion –the towns of Mathura and Vrindavan are particularly considered to be the heart of Holi and host some spectacular celebrations, with Lord Krishna believed to have lived in the region previously, although note that attending solo is not recommended, especially for females.
You can also expect big celebrations (but reduced bonfires) in the larger cities such as New Delhi, Goa and Varanasi – although be warned that all shops in these cities will shut down on Holi day.
Duration: Holi officially lasts for two full days – and you can expect the bonfires to begin in the late evening the day before the day of colour – for the day of Holi itself there are no set times when the paint fights begin, but you can expect the pop-up stalls and crowds to begin to gather from 10am and the festival to last until around 5pm in major cities, at which point crowds will disperse to head home for a evening meal.
Tickets: There are no tickets required for Holi celebrations, and you can buy water pistols and colours from pop-up stands all across the country, for those want the full Holi experience a series of ticketed after parties (starting from $10 usd) take place in the hours after the celebrations in the major cities of India.
Need to Know: Unfortunately it is strongly advised that females do not attend Holi alone and are part of a group and are extra cautious when celebrating Holi.
For the Holi day paint festivals its highly advised to wear cheap clothes and a white t‑shirt – to allow the maximum effect of the paint and water to be seen.
