Want to know the meaning of Holi and find out when it’s held each year? The answers are in this Holi Festival Guide.

1. Mathura and Vrindavan: Traditional Holi

Sri Krishna Janmastham
Holi festival celebrations last for 40 days in the temple towns of Mathura and Vrindavan, four hours from Delhi. Mathura is where Lord Krishna was born, while Vrindavan was where he spent his childhood. During the 40 days prior to the main Holi day, dancers from various parts of India gather to put on shows depicting Krishna’s flirtations with the village maidens. Singing troupes perform Holi folk songs as well. Make sure you arrive well before the main Holi day. The Sri Krishna Janmastham in Mathura holds a renowned show in the week before Holi. The five day celebrations at Shri Banke Bihari Mandir in Vrindavan are also legendary.

2. Delhi: Modern Holi

Holi Cow
Holi tends to be a rowdy affair in Delhi. If you’re staying anywhere near Paharganj, be prepared to be covered in color by shopkeepers and children alike if you step outside. If you can, try and get tickets to the Holi Cow festival. A festival of color, music and madness, it’s is held a short distance outside the city. The environment is safe, and non-toxic colors are provided, along with bhang lassis, street food, and sprinklers to get everyone in the mood. Both DJs and bands perform. Plenty of expats, as well as locals, attend.

3. Shantiniketan, West Bengal: Cultural Holi

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The celebration of Holi as Vasanta Utsav (Spring Festival) in Shantiniketan was started by famous Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Inspired by spring and the colors of Holi, he introduced the occasion as an annual event in his Vishva Bharati University there. Students dress up in spring colors and put on a huge cultural program for visitors, including dances to Tagore’s songs. This is followed by the usual throwing of colors. Vasanta Utsav has become a cherished part of Bengali history and culture, and it attracts numerous foreign tourists. Note that festivities happen a day earlier than the given date for Holi in other parts of India.

4. Purulia, West Bengal: Folk Holi

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A three day folk festival takes place in the Purulia district of West Bengal. It runs in the lead up to Holi and on the actual day. You’ll get to sing and play Holi with the locals, as well as enjoy a wide variety of unique folk art. This includes the remarkable Chau dance, Darbari Jhumur, Natua dance, and songs of West Bengal’s wandering Baul musicians. What makes the festival special is that it’s organized by villagers as a way of helping sustain themselves. The location is around 5-6 hours by train from Kolkata, or transport in private vehicles can be arranged. Accommodation is provided in tents and there are portable toilets as well.

5. Jaipur: Holi and Elephants

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An elephant festival kicks off Holi celebrations in Jaipur every year on Holi eve. Elephant parades, elephant beauty contests, folk dances, and tug-of-war between elephants, locals and foreigners are all regular events. It makes Holi extra fun!

6. Banswara: Tribal Holi

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Holi is the main festival of the tribals in the Banswara district of Rajasthan. They wear their traditional dresses, carry swords and sticks, and perform the Gair dance. It’s a typical tribal dance of the region. To get there, the nearest airport is in Udaipur, around 165 kilometers away. Alternatively, there’s a railway station at Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh), around 80 kilometers away. More travel information, including maps and hotels, is available on the local government wesbiste.

7. Where not to Celebrate Holi: South India
If you’re looking for an exhuberant Holi, give south India a miss. In the south, the festival is quite solemn and subdued. The focus is mainly on religious aspects and temple rites.

Once Brahma was pleased by devotion of Hiranyakashyapu, he granted the king wishes that the king will not be killed by human being or an animal, he will not die either in his home or outside the home, he will not die in the day or at night, he will not die either by astra or shastra, and that he will not die either on land or in the sea or in the air. As this wish was granted, it was completely impossible to kill Hiranyakashyapu by any means and this made him invincible. Hiranyakashyapu ordered people in his kingdom to worship him as a God. Everyone obeyed with the exception of his son Prahlad. Prahlad refused to see his father as a god and stayed devoted to Vishnu.This made Hiranyakashipu very angry and he made various attempts to kill Prahlad. During a particular attempt on Prahlad’s life, King Hiranyakashyapu called upon his sister Holika for help. Holika had a special gift that prevented her from being harmed by fire. Hiranyakashyapu asked her to sit on a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap in the hope that this would kill Prahlad. But as Prahlad chanted Vishnu’s name, Holika was burnt to her death and Prahlad was spared.

For many traditions in Hinduism, Holi celebrates the death of Holika in order to save Prahlad and we see where Holi gets its name. The night before Holi pyres are burnt in North India in keeping with this tradition. It should also be noted that in some parts of India the day is actually called Holika. There are other activities associated with the story of Prahlad, but the burning of Holika is the one that we can most directly associate with Holi. Fire burnt on the eve of Holi (Holika Dahan) symbolizes the burning of Holika. The story as a whole is testament to the power of devotion (bhakta) over the evil represented by King Hiranyakashyapu, as Prahlad never lost his faith.

The burning of Holika is the most common mythological explanation for the celebration of Holi. In different parts of India varying reasons are given for Holika’s death.