Holi Festival Holiday in India 2023 – Date, Holika Dahan Time and Special Aspects
Festivals are an inherent part of Indian culture. Holi is one of the country’s most vivid and colourful festivals that falls in the Hindu month of Phalguna. It is celebrated to mark the end of winter and the arrival of spring. This much-awaited transition in an agriculturally-inclined country like India is marked by boisterous celebrations. It involves people playing with colours and lighting bonfires. The act of smearing each other with coloured powder during Holi has earned it the moniker “festival of colours.”
Read on to know Holi date 2023, its importance, how it is celebrated in different states in India and its ‘muhurat’.
| Observed By | Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others |
| Observed In | India, Nepal and countries with large Hindu population |
| Nature of Festival | Religious, cultural, spring festival |
| Celebratory Rituals | Holika Dahan, Kama DahanSpraying coloured powder, singing, dancing, feasting |
| Date in 2023 | March 8, 2023 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Holi Holiday Date and Time in 2023
Most Indian states’ educational institutions, workplaces, banks and government offices declare a holiday on Holi. In 2023, Holi will be celebrated across the country on March 8.
Holi falls on a different day each year as the Gregorian calendar does not determine it. It is based on the Hindu lunar calendar. This year, as mentioned above, Holi falls on March 8.
This year, the auspicious time for Holi is as follows:
- Holika Dahan: March 7, 2023, 6:24 pm to 8:51 pm
- Holi: March 8, 2023
Importance of Holi
Holi, as mentioned above, coincides with the arrival of spring. This means better opportunities for the farming community to increase their yield. As a result, it is considered the beginning of the arrival of prosperity. The date of the festival is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar and changes every year.
In India, the celebration of Holi has been mentioned in poems in the fourth and seventh centuries. This includes the famous Sanskrit play Ratnavali by Indian ruler Harsha. Like most other festivals in countries, the origins of Holi, too, can be traced back to stories in Indian mythology.
Popular belief connects the celebration of Holi to the legend of a demon king named Hiranyakashipu and his son, Prahlad. The legend goes that Hiranyakashipu, overcome by pride and arrogance, was convinced that he was God. He prohibited the worship of any other deities. This order came as a unique predicament to the king’s son Prahalad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu.
When Prahlad refused to stop worshipping Lord Vishnu, his father decided to kill his son. However, Hiranyakashipu’s attempts failed as Prahlad was protected by divine intervention. As a last resort, the king decided to rope in his sister, demoness Holika, to kill Prahlad. Holika, who had the gift of being untouched by fire, would sit on a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap. However, instead of Prahlad, Holika is burnt to ashes. Soon after, Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyakashipu and made Prahlad the King.
To symbolise the death of Holika – and thereby, the triumph of good over evil – bonfires are lit on the night before Holi.
Holi celebration usually spans two days. The first evening and the intervening night are observed as Holika Dahan. The second day involves people celebrating with colours, water and elaborate meals. The practice of celebrating with coloured powder has been attributed to legends and lores of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology.
Holi 2023 Panchang
Provided below is the Panchang for Holi 2023.
| Sunrise | 06:39 AM |
| Sunset | 06:25 PM |
| Moonrise | 06:29 PM |
| Moonset | 07:15 AM |
| Tithi | Pratipada upto 07:42 PMDwitiya |
| Nakshatra | Uttara Phalguni upto 04:20 AM, March 09Hasta |
| Yoga | Shula up to 09:20 PMGanda |
| Karana | Balava upto 06:58 AMKaulava upto 07:42 PMTaitila |
| Weekday | Budhwara |
| Paksha | Krishna Paksha |
| Brahma Muhurta | 05:01 AM to 05:50 AM |
How Do Indians Celebrate Holi?
Holi is celebrated across the country over two days by the auspicious time window. The first day is dedicated to Holika Dahan, or the burning of demoness Holika. This is observed by lighting large bonfires that are allowed to burn throughout the intervening night. These bonfires represent Holika’s pyre symbolically. This practice marks the end of evil and the rise of good.
The following day, the community – including families and friends – celebrates by applying coloured powder. The most common and widely used of this is gulal, a reddish-pink powder traditionally made using flowers. Water is also used as part of the celebration, with people mixing colours and water to splash on each other.
Elaborate feasts, dancing, music and other fun activities underline these celebrations. Bhang, made using the buds and leaves of the cannabis plant, is used in food and thandai (cool drink) preparation during Holi. The origins of this practice can be traced to stories from Shaivite philosophy.
How is Holi Celebrated in Different States?
Given the diversity of cultures within India, there are several ways in which Holi is celebrated across the country. The festival is celebrated in all its glory in the northern states of India, such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi, among others. Several states also have their unique rituals associated with Holi. Let us take a look at some of them.
1. Braj
Braj is an area comprising UP, MP, Rajasthan and Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam. Here, Dol Jatra is a minor festival celebrated as part of Holi. It is dedicated to Hindu deities Lord Krishna and Radha and involves a religious procession. As part of it, deities are worshipped in swinging palanquins, accompanied by singing and dancing.
2. Uttar Pradesh (UP)
Holi is one of the most important festivals in UP. Here, Holi is accompanied by a ritual called Lath Mar Holi. Celebrated in Barsana, women playfully beat men with sticks as the men run for cover. This playful interaction is usually punctuated with singing and dancing.
3. Uttarakhand
Here, the festival involves a unique celebration called Kumaoni Holi. Celebrated by the people of Kumaon, Holi is a two-month celebration beginning on Basant Panchami. It involves three forms of festivities – Baithki Holi, the Khari Holi and the Mahila Holi. They are all marked by musical meetings. The community comes together to sing hymns and songs of spirituality with a touch of fun.
4. Punjab
In Punjab, Holi celebration is also marked with martial art and kusti competitions and performances. Community feasts are also organised.
5. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka
In these southern states, people celebrate Holi with colours and bonfires.
6. Kerala
In Kerala, the celebrations are more subdued with a visit to the local shrine and a hearty meal.
Public Life During Holi
Given that Holi is declared a holiday by most sectors, it is usually celebrated in the company of friends and family. It is typical for community centres and public gardens to be opened up for large-scale celebrations.
Special Aspects of Holi
- Cultural Identity: Holi is an easily identifiable cultural marker for India. It has often been used as a metaphor for the world within India in several Western art productions.
- Pop Culture: Holi has been an essential part of India’s cultural context, given the representation it has received in pop culture. Holi has been immortalised in Indian art and literature. Countless movies have used the backdrop of the festival to set their songs. Interestingly, many such iconic songs have come to be played in Holi celebrations.
- Unique Celebratory Rituals: Holi is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. There are several novel aspects of Holi that are not usually seen in other festivals. This includes celebration with colours, consumption of Bhaang, and dancing and singing. These practices have been traced to mythological stories that are an inherent part of the Indian identity.
Best Places to Celebrate Holi in India
- Uttar Pradesh: One of the best places to celebrate Holi in India is Uttar Pradesh. Holi is one of the most important festivals in the state. It is celebrated with great pomp and glory in areas such as Braj, Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon, which are closely associated with the stories of Lord Krishna.
- Rajasthan: In Pushkar, located in Rajasthan, Holi is celebrated in a unique manner. Here, people celebrate Holi with flowers instead of colours while dancing to devotional songs.
- Maharashtra: Mumbai is a great place to celebrate Holi as it is a melting pot of cultures. In addition to celebrations with colours, community celebrations by people from various states are organised throughout the city.
Final Word
Holi is one of the most vibrant festivals in India and will fall on March 8, 2023. It is important in India’s social context and has become one of the country’s most important cultural indicators. It is celebrated to mark the end of winter and the arrival of spring. It also signifies the triumph of good over evil. Holi is celebrated by people showering each other with colours and water, followed by elaborate meals, singing and dancing.
FAQs
Ans: The date of the Holi festival is arrived at based on the Hindu lunar calendar. It does not follow the Gregorian calendar.
Ans: Panchang is a Hindu almanack and calendar. It lists traditional Hindu timekeeping units that specify auspicious days, auspicious timings and associated calculations.
Ans: Holi is usually celebrated over a day or two. Depending on the local beliefs, some regions may celebrate it for a longer window.
Ans: Holi is a public holiday in countries such as India and Nepal, with a significant Hindu population.
Ans: Holi is celebrated in the Hindu month of Phalguna.
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