Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates spring, love, and new life.
Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun. It's a colourful festival, with dancing, singing and throwing of powder paint and coloured water.
Holi is also known as the "festival of colours".
When is Holi?
Holi marks the arrival of spring and the end of winter. It is usually celebrated in March.
In 2022 Holi will begin on Friday 18 March.
What is the story of Holi?
Holi also celebrates the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.
Hiranyakashipu an evil king.
Hiranyakashipu was an evil king. He had special powers that made him nearly invincible and he wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him.
He was so powerful he started to act like a god and punished or killed anyone who disobeyed him.
Hiranyakashipu had a son called Prahlad. Prahlad disobeyed his father and worshipped Vishnu instead of him, so his father planned to kill him.
The king asked his sister Holika to help kill Prahlad. Holika had a special cloak that would protect her from fire. So she planned to trick Prahlad by taking him into a fire…
but because she was using her powers for evil, the plan failed and the cloak flew from Holika and covered Prahlad. Prahlad was safe and Vishnu then defeated the evil king.
Today, Hindus light bonfires on Holi to represent the triumph of good over evil.
How is Holi celebrated?
On the first night of Holi, people light bonfires and throw roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas onto them.
The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for fun and paint-throwing. Everyone gets involved!
Hindus have fun by smearing each other with paint and throwing coloured water.
What do the Holi colours mean?
Some people believe the Holi colours came from Krishna mischievously throwing coloured water over his milkmaids when he was a boy. This developed into the practical jokes and games of Holi.
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