Holi 2029
होली
Holi falls on Thursday, 1 March 2029 in New Delhi.
Holi is the spring morning of colour that follows the Holika fire, when ordinary manners are suspended for a few hours and everyone gets drenched. It has several local forms, from Braj to Punjab to Manipur.
Why this date
CalculatedIt's the day after Holika Dahan, so it depends on that evening's full moon in Phalguna. In the northern calendar that makes Holi the first day of the dark fortnight of the following month, Chaitra. It can shift when Holika Dahan does.
That’s 10 days earlier than 11 March 2028 last year.
2029 date by city
| New Delhi | Thu, 1 Mar |
|---|---|
| Mumbai | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Kolkata | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Chennai | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Bengaluru | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Hyderabad | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Ahmedabad | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Pune | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Jaipur | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Lucknow | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Patna | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Varanasi | Thu, 1 Mar |
| London | Wed, 28 Feb |
| New York | Wed, 28 Feb |
| San Francisco | Wed, 28 Feb |
| Toronto | Wed, 28 Feb |
| Sydney | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Singapore | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Dubai | Thu, 1 Mar |
| Port Louis | Thu, 1 Mar |
Dates in bold differ from New Delhi’s. Calculated by rule; local practice can differ.
One festival, many stories
BrajKrishna and Radha
In Mathura and Vrindavan, Holi is Krishna's festival. In the common telling, he teased Radha and the gopis with colour, and they answered back. Barsana's women still chase men with sticks at Lathmar Holi. The poetry and practice are rich, even if the older texts on Krishna don't describe this festival in these terms.
North IndiaThe world turned upside down
Anthropologist McKim Marriott wrote a famous account of Holi in a north Indian village, describing how those of low status playfully got the better of those above them for a day. Lochtefeld also describes the festival as one of reversal. It's a reading based on fieldwork, and it also raises a sharper question about whose licence this is, since not everyone experiences the licence as play.
Bengal and OdishaDol Purnima
In Bengal and Odisha, it's Dol Jatra, held on the full moon itself: Krishna and Radha are carried on a swing, with colour offered gently. Bengali Vaishnavas also mark it as the birthday of Chaitanya, the sixteenth-century saint, who was born on this full moon.
PunjabHola Mohalla
On the day after Holi, Sikhs gather at Anandpur Sahib for Hola Mohalla, a festival of martial displays begun by Guru Gobind Singh. It takes the date from Holi, and its spirit is quite different.
Common questions
What people do
- Throwing coloured powder and water at family and friends
- Visiting relatives and sharing gujiya, thandai and other sweets
- Singing the season's songs, called phag or hori
- Drinking bhang-laced thandai in some places, which isn't to everyone's taste
Why do people play with colours on Holi?
The most common explanation is Krishna's play with Radha and the gopis in Braj. As with many such customs, no one can say with certainty when or how it first began, and a spring festival of licence may well be older than that story.
When is Holi celebrated?
It's on the morning after the Phalguna full-moon bonfire, usually in March. Since it's set by the moon, its Gregorian date changes every year.
Why is Holi called a festival of reversal?
Because for a few hours, ordinary rules and rank are loosened: juniors can throw colour at elders, and teasing is allowed. Some see this as healthy release, and others point out that it can provide cover for harassment, especially of women.
Ask your elders
“Ask your family who they've chased with a bucket on Holi and who they never dared to. What colours did they use before the packets, and did anyone make them at home from flowers?”
Sources
- James G. Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Rosen, 2002), entry “Holi”
- McKim Marriott, “The Feast of Love”, in Milton Singer (ed.), Krishna: Myths, Rites, and Attitudes (University of Chicago Press, 1966)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Holi”