The Samaj Rituals- Holi at Nandgaon , Mathura by Anushtupde, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Holi
A spring festival of colour whose regional versions differ sharply — and choosing the one you actually want to be in.
A spring festival of colour marked over two days, set by the full moon and falling in late February or March.
The Essentials
Holi is fixed to the full moon of the month of Phalguna, which puts it in late February or March. It is marked over two days: an evening of bonfires, and then the morning most people picture, when dry colour and water are thrown in the street. The observance is older and more varied than the photographs suggest, and across India the regional versions differ enough to be worth choosing between.
The Braj region around Mathura and Vrindavan celebrates for well over a week and with the greatest intensity; Rajasthan and the northern cities do the single well-known morning; parts of the south and east mark it very differently or barely at all. Choosing where means choosing what kind of day you want.
It is also the festival most likely to catch a visitor out. The street version is boisterous, colours are thrown at everyone including passers-by, and both the crowd and the substances used vary in ways worth preparing for rather than discovering.
Where to experience Holi
The places this happens, and what each one is actually like.
The Braj celebrations run for more than a week and are the most intense in the country. Rewarding, and not the place for a first, cautious experience.
The recognisable single-morning version, in cities set up for visitors and with organised events alongside the street celebration.
Marked as Basanta Utsav with song and dance rather than a colour fight — a gentler and quite different observance on the same date.
The bonfire evening is the centrepiece here, with a palace procession, which suits travellers who want the occasion without the street.
Hola Mohalla follows Holi immediately — a Sikh gathering of horsemanship, martial display and langar rather than a colour fight. A different tradition on adjacent days, and easy to pair with Amritsar.
The ghats version, preceded by Rangbhari Ekadashi at the Vishwanath temple. Among the most boisterous in the country, and the least suited to anyone hoping to stay dry or keep hold of a camera.
How to plan your Holi trip
Wear what you will throw away. The colour does not fully come out of clothing, and it can stain skin and hair for days. Old clothes, oil in the hair and something over the eyes are the standard local precautions for a reason.
Choose your crowd deliberately. The street version is boisterous and not everyone in it is sober. Many travellers, and women travelling alone in particular, prefer an organised celebration at a hotel or a smaller town to the open street.
Ask what the colour is made of. Natural colours wash out; some cheaper powders do not, and a few irritate skin and eyes. Buying your own from a reputable source is a small step that avoids most of the trouble.
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