When is Holi 2022? Know Festival Date Observed 40 Days After Basant Panchami, History and Cultural Significance of 'Festival of Colours'
Indian festivals are well known for their richness and traditions. One of them being the festivals of colours and spring, Holi. The festival is celebrated every year on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna which is early March. Scroll down to read about the cultural importance and history behind celebrating the festival.
Holi, the festival of colours and love, is widely celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. It is considered the second biggest festival on Hindu Calendar, although it is celebrated by people of other faiths as well. The festival celebrated the arrival of spring, the end of winter. After the celebration of Vasant Panchami, 40 days duration is completely dedicated to the festival of Holi. In most of the regions, Holi is observed for two days, which are Jalanewali Holi or Chhoti Holi and Rangwali Holi. The Holi bonfire is done on the first day followed by the day people play with bright colours. List of Major Indian Festivals and Events in 2022: From Holi to Diwali, Eid al-Fitr to Guru Nanak Jayanti, Ganesh Chaturthi to Durga Puja- Get Dates of All Festivities.
Holi 2022 Celebration
This year Holi will be observed on Friday, 18th March. The Purnima tithi for the festival will begin at 01:29 PM on March 17, 2022, and will end at 12:47 PM on Mar 18, 2022.
History Behind Celebrating The Festival Of Holi
As per the Hindu mythology of Bhagavata Purana, Hiranyakashipu was an asura and king of the daityas. He forced everyone to worship him as their God. But, Hiranyakashipu's son Prahlada disagreed as he was devoted to Lord Vishnu. Angered by his son's faith Hiranyakashipu decided to kill Prahlada by making him sit on a burning pyre with his aunt Holika. Holika had a special boon that prevented her from being harmed by fire. Prahlada chanted Vishnu's name and in the battle of good against evil, Holika was burnt down but nothing happened to Prahlad. The survival of Prahlad is celebrated in Hinduism as the festival of Holi.
Cultural Significance Celebrating Holi
The celebration of Holi includes lighting bonfires, playing with powder colour, or gulaal, dancing to traditional folk music, and sharing sweets and warm greetings with family and close ones. In Braj, the festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha Krishna. The festival happens a day earlier in West Bengal and Odisha, where it is celebrated as Dol Jatra, the state of Maharashtra observes it as Rang Panchami, whereas Uttar Pradesh celebrates Holi as Lathmar Holi. Apart from India, the festival of spring is also observed by countries like South Africa, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2022 08:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).