Category: Holi

Holi Wishes 2019 are the most attractive and gorgeous method for expressing your deep love and care to your family members, colleagues, friends and loved ones.

So, have a look on them and pick your one:

1. Here’s wishing you and your family a very joyful and colorful Holi. Play safe, stay safe.
2. May the bonds become stronger and relationships become unbreakable. May all odds turn in our favor and all obstacles disappear. May this Holi bring a colorful turn in your life. Happy Holi!
3. May that vibrant and exotic gulals leave back trails of color in your life too. Hope you have a wonderful and safe Holi!
4. This Holi correct what has been wronged, fill in the loop holes and mend what requires mending. Start afresh. It’s Holi after all!
5. In this season of color, forgive and forget and most importantly, spread love! Happy Holi to you and your family! Hope you have an amazing time.
6. Wishing you and your family wealth, good luck, prosperity, happiness and unbound laughter. May your life be as colorful as this festival. Happy Holi!
7. Let us leave behind the hardships, forget all the sadness and come together to celebrate this festival of color with smiles and laughter. Happy Holi to you!
8. May this Holi add the exotic colors of gulal, the madness of water balloons, the charm of Bollywood song and the sweetness jalebis to your life. Have a wonderful and safe Holi!
9. Rules are made for the rest of the days but Holi is not just another day. This Holi, break free and have fun life never before. It’s Holi after all! Happy Holi!
10. How I wish I could be there by your side on this day and smear those bright colors on your face! I wish I could see you laughing and giggling with that beautiful face covered in exotic colors. Oh how I wish I could see it all! Happy Holi, my love.
11. May all your wishes come true and all your desires get fulfilled on this special occasion. Wishing you a very happy Holi to you and your family. Enjoy!
12. May your life’s canvas get smeared with all the bright and beautiful colors of Holi. May you never have a dull and gloomy moment. May your life get filled with smiles and giggles and laughter. Let this Holi do wonders. Happy Holi!
13. Hope you make a lot of sweet and beautiful memories this Holi which you can treasure throughout your life and hope you don’t miss out on any color. Have a cheerful holy and play hard.
14. Even though we are practically sitting in two different parts of the world but I hope you enjoy this Holi to the fullest. Sending my love and best wishes for you. Happy Holi!
15. Holi makes us understand that life would be so mundane without love, colors and happiness. Let us make the most of it and celebrate it to the fullest. Happy Holi!
16. Starting with this year I hope I get to spend Holi with you every year for the rest of my life so that I can helplessly watch your beautiful face get more beautiful with colors smeared on it. Happy Holi to you.
17. What is life without love and what is Holi without colors and water balloons? Enjoy each and every moment this Holi and play as much as you can. Have a safe and a wonderful Holi.
18. Not only is Holi the festival of color but it is also the festival of love. This Holi spread love and happiness and make sure you make it known to the people you love, how much they mean to you. Happy Holi.
19. May this Holi make your life more colorful than the rainbow. May you get everything you wish for. May sadness and disappointment never touch you. May you be blessed with the warmth of love. Happy Holi.
20. Just like the moon fills up the night sky with its light and flowers fill up the earth with its sweet smell, you fill up my life with love, warmth and happiness with your sweet presence. Hope you have a wonderful Holi and hope you don’t stop smiling even for once.

Also known by the name Dol Yatra, this is a major religious festival taking place in West Bengal and Orissa. Hindus celebrate this festival in honor of Lord Shri Krishna.

All the devotees of Lord Krishna celebrate this festival with much pomp and splendor. Yet another significant feature of this festival for the Bengalis is that it’s the birthday of a great Vaishnava Saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1485 – 1533).

He was the one who had instilled the devotion and passion for Radha Krishna in the people and believed that devotion lies in the essence of love. His followers believe that he was a manifestation of Lord Krishna.

Today, there are elaborate customs and traditions associated with this festival and devotees take part in them every year. The dates for this festival changes every year but generally falls in the month of March.

Customs And Celebrations
In the span of the Bengali year, this festival serves as the last of the celebrations and generally takes place for two days. However, in places like Mathura and Vrindavan, the birth places of Lord Krishna, this festival continues for 16 days straight.

This day is mainly divided into two things – worshipping Radha Krishna and later on playing with colors. In West Bengal, dry powdered color is commonly called ‘Abir’ and all shops are kept closed on this day as everybody takes part in the playful festivities. Families have certain traditions like the smaller members of the family put “Abir” on the feet of the elders as a token of respect while the elders smear the youngster’s cheeks with color to show their love.

In Bengal, on this auspicious occasion, children dress up in saffron colored clothes and with garlands around their necks dance and sing to melodious songs welcoming spring. This day is also known as Holi or he festival of colors during which people spray each other with water and colors and drink the popular beverage ‘Bhaang’. The ceremonious aspect of this festival witnesses images of Lord Krishna being richly decorated and adorned with colorful “Abir”.

After that Lord Krishna sometimes along with Radha is placed in an elaborately decorated swinging palanquin and taken out on a procession through the streets of the city. The palanquin is decorated picturesquely with the help of fragrant flowers and leaves while Lord Krishna sits there in beautiful clothes and jewelry.

When the procession is led, devotees dance and sing to devotional tunes praising Lord Krishna and his eternal love story with Radha. Women dance around the palanquin and take turns to swing Lord Krishna. The procession is accompanied by devotional music, blowing of trumpets, blaring of conch shells and shouting of victory hails.

As the procession is taken around the city, devotees also engage in spraying each other with colored water and smearing powdered colors on each other. The name “Swing Festival” owes to this tradition of swinging Lord Krishna on this day.

This is a three day Sikh festival and is none other than the Punjab version of Holi. This festival is celebrated in a totally different and unique way and starts on the second day of the Lunar month of Chett which coincides with the day right after Holi which takes place on the first day of Chett.

The term ‘Hola’ is a Sanskrit word that is derived from the term ‘Holi’ which is the Hindu spring festival. Hola Mohalla is an age old festival that dates back to the 18th century when Guru Gobind Singh who was the last of the ten Sikh Gurus laid the foundation for this.

He created an event that would showcase the martial art skills of the Sikhs and allow them to host mock wars and battles.

Holla Mohalla is a sort of an annual community gathering for the Sikhs that take place in various places most popular of which are Anandpur Sahib and Golden Temple, Amritsar where thousands of devotees assemble every year to celebrate this festival.

Customs And Celebration
There is a great and large annual fair held at Anandpur Sahid during Hola Mohalla that continues for three consecutive days. This town also boasts of having the second most important Sikh Shrine. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh had baptized five men into the Sikh faith and founded the Khalsa Panth which is considered to the highest level of attaining spirituality by the Sikhs.

In recent times, this festival hosts a variety of activities such as different ways of displaying strength through fights and mock battles. There is also a special military style procession which takes starts from Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib on this day. During the three day affair, members of the Sikh community take part in dare devil and brave acts like horseback fights, standing on speeding horse’s backs, mock head on battles called Gatka, tent pegging etc.

Along with these, there are also light hearted events like musical performances and poetry recitals. People also listen to devotional songs and ‘Kirtans’. There are various large Durbars where religious lectures are given to cleanse and enlighten the members of the community. It’s on the last day that the procession is held which is led by Panj Pyaras and starts from Takht which is one of the five Sikh religious seats mentioned before and goes through major gurdwaras like Lohgarh Sahib, Mata Jitoji, Qila Anandgarh and ends at the Takht.

Visitors of Anandpur Sahib during this festival sit together in queues known as ‘Pangats’  and eat vegetarian food prepared by the voluntary community kitchens known as ‘Langars’. In order to make the food, ingredients like wheat, flour, vegetables, rice, milk, sugar etc. are donated by the villagers. Women voluntarily take part in the cooking of the food and cleaning of the utensils. Traditional vegetarian food is served to the visiting pilgrims. All this is done as a part of ‘Sewa’ which is the community service of the Sikhs.

Shigmo, also known as Shishirotsava, I an annual festival celebrated on every spring by the people of Goa. It being one of the main festivals of the Hindus living in Goa, Shigmo is celebrated in a grand manner there.

It is mainly observed by the Konkani people and the Hindu festival of colors, Holi, is also a part of the festivities.

Shigmo festival has two parts, Dhakto Shigmo and Vhadlo Shigmo. The former is generally celebrated and observed amongst the labors, peasants and the people of villages while the latter is celebrated on a larger scale and everyone takes part in it.

The Dhakto Shigmo starts around 5 days prior to the day of full moon on the month of Phalguna, one of the lunar months on Hindu calendar, and will come to an end on the day of the full moon. It is observed in the areas that were under the rule of the Portuguese for a longer time period and is called the Old Conquest areas.

While the celebration of Vhadlo Shigmo starts on the day of the full moon and continues for the next five days in the month of Phalguna. This takes place in New Conquest areas of Goa.

The celebrations
During Dhakto Shigmo mainly folk dances along with folk songs are performed by the locals while the festivities of Vhadlo Shigmo are carried out in the temples of the villages. It is performed in various temples across Goa on different dates but on the same time period.

On the very first day of the celebrations the Deity of the village is bathed in a ceremonial manner and then made to put on robes of saffron color after which the Deity is offered with food. Once it is done a grand feast is held by the people of the village. It is held in some of the very famous temples of Goa like Phatarpya, Jambavali, Dhargale and Kansarpal.

Hundreds and hundreds of tourists and devotees gather in these places during this time of the year to witness the Shigmo celebration. During the celebration, the villagers gather at a particular places and sings songs called Naman and Jot in chorus. The songs are also accompanied by traditional dances like Hanpet, Talgadi, Gopha and Lamp dance. Some people are seen to carry gigantic drums called Taso and Dhol from one door to another while the others match steps with the beat.

The performers also carry the money donated by the people on a plate and they also sing a song known as Tali in which they wish for the donor’s wellbeing. The local people believe that on the last day of the festival a spirit called Gade Padap posses the bodies of the dancers and right after the festivities come to an end, it is customary for all the performers to take a bath together and this is called Mand Davarap.

In the present times the Shigmo festival is receiving support from the State Government which is also providing full support to the parades which includes folk dances and elaborate floats representing famous mythological and religious scenes. This festival goes on for around two weeks in full vigor and each day of the festival is celebrated in different rural areas across the Indian state of Goa. Shigmo is an annual festival celebrated in the month of March every year. The dates of the celebration depend on the Hindu lunar calendar thus its corresponding dates on the Georgian calendar might vary from one year to another.

The Hindu communities residing in Southern India especially in the Kannyakumari region of Tamil Nadu observe the festival of Holi in a slightly different way and it goes by the name Kaman Pandigai.

This festival is essentially associated with the well – known legend of Shiva burning up Kamdev who was the God of love, into ashes. It’s said that on the auspicious occasion of Holi was Rati the wife of Kamdev able to plead Shiva into making him revive her husband.

This festival is also known as Kamavilas or Kama – Dahanam and is generally observed on the day before Holi. Just like Holi, this festival is also found to occur generally in the month of March.

The Legend
The story goes that after the death of Sati, Shiva’s beloved, he went into deep meditation and this indifference created a total imbalance in the universe. During this time Parvati who was the daughter of the mountains too started meditating to attain Shiva as her husband.

After undergoing several years of penance, Sati was reborn as Parvati. But even after that, Shiva continued with his meditation and nobody was able to break it. All the Gods became worried and in order to make Shiva return back to his original self, they sought the help of Kaamadeva who was the God of love. In spite of knowing what repercussions he may have to undergo, he still agreed to help the tensed Gods and do good to the world.

While Shiva was in deep meditation, he was shot by Kaamadeva with the love – arrow. Shiva became so enraged that he opened his third eye and instantly reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. But his love arrow had produced the desired results and Shiva agreed to marry Parvati. After the whole incident got over, Rati, the wife of Kaamadeva worshipped Shiva and after a tough penance, was able to recite the whole tale to Shiva and requested him to revive her husband. After listening to the entire tale, Shiva agreed to revive her husband and blessed her on Holi day.

Celebrations
This festival is celebrated in two different moods. One is that of sorrow and mourning because Kaamadeva had died during this time. The other happy and celebratory emotion was due to the Rati getting blessed from Shiva on this day and her husband getting revived. On this day, people offer Sandalwood to Kaamadeva with the intention of easing the pain of burning. Songs are sung that portray feelings of sorrow and mourn the death of Kaamadeva. There is an altar that’s raised for more than ten days after which on the full moon day, its set ablaze and sugarcanes are thrown into the fire. Prior to this there was general mourning among the people but, after this there is merriment and two people dressed as Rati and Kaamadeva go around collecting money.

It’s another name for Holi- the festival of colors where Phagu means sacred red colored powder and Purnima is the full moon day on which this festival ends.

This festival is observed for eight days just before the full moon day of month of Phalgun or March according to the Gregorian calendar. Holi announces the onset of spring and passing by of winter.

Phagu Purnima is a popular festival enjoyed by all the sections of the society and continues from eight days straight days starting from the eighth day of the waxing day and ending on the full moon day. It’s celebrated as a victory of good over evil and uses significant amounts of different colors especially the vermillion.

This festival occurs generally in late February or in the beginning of March and is known by this name in the Bihar region of India and even in the Nepal. People in Bihar also call this festival ‘Phagwa’ according to the local Bhojpuri dialect.

The Legend
A religious text named Padma Purane Krishna Bachanam says that whoever erects a Chir (a bamboo pole decorated with strips of cloth) on the eighth day of the month of Phagunand and will keep worshipping it right till the day of Purnima with scented Vermillion and take the name of Lord Krishna will make Lord Krishna happy and he will bless the worshipper.

Another legend talks about how demon king Hirankyakashyap tried to kill his own son Prahlad with the help of this sister Holika. Holika was immune to fire so she took Prahlad in her lap and entered a blazing furnace. But an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna, Prahlad came out untouched while Holika burnt to death. This signifies the victory of good over evil.

Celebrations
On this day, Chir is erected at the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu and sacred vermillion powder is thrown on the pole. People also play with colors and spray each other using pistons and water balloons. People both young and old are drenched in colors and groups of people are seen singing and dancing while throwing colors on each other.

On the eve of Phagu, Holika tree is generally burnt and traditional folk dances are performed around the fire. In the evening of Phagu day, children play with dry colors and seek blessings from elders. Phagu is a major festival for the people of the Terai region who go for fishing a day before Phagu Purnima and on the day of the festival itself, families come together and daughters and son in laws are invited for elaborate food and drink affair.

Fish is one of the most important food items that are consumed during this festival. Other special dishes prepared on this day include Mal Pua which is a dessert made from flour, milk, sugar and dry fruits. Dishes prepared using Jackfruit is also popular.

This celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, is more of a local celebration. In Uttar Pradesh, Lath Mar Holi is played few days before the day of Holi in the towns of religious importance, Nandgaon and Barsana, which are located near Mathura.

Thousands and thousands of Hindus from all over India gather here to be a part of the celebration and witness the exotic and grand act of Holi.

This Holi includes special customs and traditions and is celebrated only in few places.

The celebration
According to the legend, on this particular day notorious Lord Krishna had gone to his lover, Radha’s village and teased her and her playmates in a playful manner. The women of Barsana took offence at Lord Krishna’s pranks and chased him back to his own village, Nandgaon.

This playful tradition is kept alive even today as all the men of Nandgaon goes to Barsana all together every year only to be welcomed by women carrying sticks or lathis in order to beat them playfully for their mischief. In the act, the women of Barsana throw the sticks at the male visitors who try to protect themselves as much as possible.

If they fail to protect themselves and flee back to their village and in turn get captured by the women of Barsana, those poor men are forced to dress up in female costumes and are made to dance in front of everyone as punishment. The Radha Rani temple dedicated to Radha is located in Barsana and is the only Radha temple in entire India. Every year on this day people from all over the country gather to be a part of the celebration and witness the act in which women beat up men with sticks in a playful manner replicating the scene in which Lord Krishna was chased away for teasing Radha.

The songs narrating undying love between Radha and Krishna and Lord Krishna’s mischief are sung along with it. On the very first day of the festival all the shepherds of Nandgaon go to the neighboring village of Barsana to play with the shepherdesses there and it begins at the famous Radha Rani temple. On the next day the shepherds of Barsana go to Nandgaon to play Holi with the shepherdesses living there. Following the rule of tit for tat the Barsana men invade the village of Nandgaon only to smear the women of Nandgaon in the exotic colors of palash and kesudo.

On this day it is the turn of the Nandgaon women to beat up the Barsana men for drenching them in colors. The men are seen to sing songs having provocative lyrics only to tease the women and attract their attention. In between the act the onlookers and the participants cool themselves down by drinking a special traditional drink thandai and drinking another drink made up with cannabis called bhang, which has an intoxicating effect and thus heightens the playful mood.

On this day all the people, forgetting all their differences, come together to be a part of the celebration and merrymaking and hence thus this festival strengthens bonds. The preparation of this festival starts months before its arrival and the women of Barsana are the ones who are the most excited. The mother-in-laws are seen to take special care of their daughter-in-laws and feed them healthy food so that they can prove their strength on the special day and can out do the men from Nandgaon. The Lath Mar Festival also empowers women and sends a message of equality. It is filled with fun, frolic and excitement.

Holi is considered to be the second biggest festival in India and is celebrated by one and all. It’s known by different names in different parts of the country.

Its numerous names all over the country very clearly establish the truth about its immense popularity. One such name is Dhulandi which is native to the state of Haryana. Over here, Holi is celebrated with much pomp and splendor.

It’s the second day or rather the main day of the 2 day festival of Holi which is also known as Rangwali Holi in other parts of India.

Customs And Celebrations
This day boasts of a lot of fun rituals and customs and is especially dedicated to the ‘Bhabhis’ and ‘Devars’. Bhabhis are the wives of the elder brothers of the family while the Devars are the younger brothers of the family.

On this day, the Bhabhis get an upper hand while the Devars have to be on the lookout for their Bhabhis. This day is characterized by full proof permission from the society for the Bhabhis to punish their Devars. Devar – Bhabhi relationship is always known to be a fun, teasing, filled with pranks bond amongst all other bonds in the family. There’s always a cat – mouse race seen between them on who can outdo the other in pranks.

On this day, the Bhabhis are entitled to make their Devars pay back for all the mischievous and naughty pranks that were played on them throughout the year. On this day, they want to make them pay for all their troubles including an interest. Paying back may not be in the monetary sense of the term but nonetheless, the Devars don’t get forgiveness so easily. The Bhabhis of the house roll up their sarees in the shape of a rope and take their Devars on a good long run.

Possessing a mock anger, they decide to trouble their Devars for once to their hearts content on this day. The evening traditions of the day comprise of the Devars bringing in sweets and gifts for their Bhabhis in an attempt to seek forgiveness. If pleased by their actions, Bhabhis forgive their Devars and the festival day has a happy ending. Other famous traditions of the day include breaking of a pot of buttermilk which has been hung high on the streets.

It’s done so by forming a human pyramid similar to the one done during Janmashtami. Also, as it’s the second or main day of Holi, its celebrations include people playing with wet and dry colors. Dry powdered colors known as ‘gulaal’ are smeared on each other’s faces while some prefer to drench other people by spraying water and wet colors. Water balloons and pichkaris are common tools used on this day and men and women, child and adults get together to enjoy this day of fun and celebrations.

• The festival of Rang Panchami is celebrated and observed five days after the Hindu festival of color, Holi.



• It is celebrated on the 5^th day of Phalgun, which is one of the months in the Hindu lunar calendar, by smearing fragrant and colored powder called gulals and splashing colored water from water jets at each other.

• It is believed that the blazing fire which is set up on Holi causes the raja-tama particles to decompose into the atmosphere and this in turn awakens the Gods and the Goddesses in form of various colors.

• This belief if celebrated by following the tradition of throwing the colored powders in the air.

• This festival symbolizes the victory or the win over raja-tama and is celebrated with various exotic colors on Falgun Vadya Panchami.
• Rang Panchami mainly involves summoning and invoking the Deities which forms a part of the process of worship of the forms of Gods that are recognizable and perceptible.

• The main purpose and essence of it is to arouse five elements of bright manifest colors and to feel the presence and touch the Gods and Goddesses who are activated and summoned by those particular colors.

• This festival is celebrated to worship and show respect to the Deities in their savior form.
• The word Rang mean color and the word Panchami refer to the fifth day. As the name suggests, it takes place on the fifth day of the lunar month of Chet.
• The festival of colors, Holi, is observed and played on the very first day of that particular month and is also observed in many villages across India. However in the small towns the main festival is celebrated on Panchami.
• A procession is carried out on this day through every streets of the town. The procession is led by a huge water tank having pressure jet set up high on it, a camel and two cannons.
• This procession goes around the entire town splashing colored water at everyone on the streets and thus spreading the joy of this festival.
• It is customary to drink the traditional edible cannabis preparation called Bhaang to arouse the mood merriment and celebration and enjoy it to the fullest.
• In the Indian state of Maharashtra, the locals recognize this festival of colors by the name of Rang Panchami since the celebration with colors and water jets are done on the fifth day instead of the first day of the month.
• The local people of Maharashtra also call Holi by the name Shimgo or Shimga and it is popular mainly among the fishermen of Maharashtra. On this day all the fishermen come together to celebrate this festival by singing and dancing in their own traditional ways.
• This festival is mainly observed in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and in some places of North India where people play with colors on the fifth day of the lunar month of Phalgun rather on the first day when the rest of the country celebrates the festival of Holi.
• Rang Panchami is just like Holi and is associated with it but is not as popular as Holi as its celebration is limited to only few states.

Basant Utsav is how Holi is known in the state of West Bengal and particularly in Shantiniketan. This was the place where poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had set up his university, Vishwabharati and started off the tradition of celebrating this festival.

Basant Utsav literally means the celebration of spring and is unique in its own way. Compared to the loud and chaotic Holi celebrations in the rest of the country, Basant Utsav is celebrated in a more calm and peaceful manner. It is filled with grace and dignity and is a beautiful way of welcoming spring.

Customs And Celebrations
In Shantiniketan, this day is one to be remembered. People celebrate it with immense mirth and energy accompanied by dance and music. Young boys and girls are dressed up in saffron or yellow colored clothes as saffron or yellow is the color of the spring.

They welcome this season which is symbolic of fresh starts and new hopes in a very elegant and joyous manner.  They perform to songs and music that describes the essence of spring. Along with that many interesting hymns are chanted which adds to the serene and quiet atmosphere of Shantiniketan. And not to be forgotten, colors or powdered dry ‘gulaals’ are thrown up into the air to celebrate this festival of color.

It’s smeared on near and dear ones and everybody gets united in a single bond of happiness and love. The main event of the day is the cultural fest which is organized by the students of the Vishwabharati University. This fest witnesses some amazing and excellent works of art and culture. The students are very talented and put together some remarkable performances for the audience. They sing melodious songs as well as dance to happy tunes engulfing the audience in pleasures and enjoyment.

In the later hours of the day, the students and teachers of this university apply colors on each other so as to portray love and respect for each other. This powdered and dry form of colors is popularly known as ‘Abir’ and is extensively found in the air and atmosphere on this day. All the students take part in the merriment and enjoy smearing each other with colors. This paints the entire premises of the university colorful and it’s indeed a beautiful sight.

All the visitors are given a hearty welcome on this day and are readily accepted to take part in the Holi celebrations. Thus, the whole day is bathed in colors of joy and merriment which is remembered for months to come. These celebrations are a major reason behind the popularity of Basant Utsav in Bolpur, Santiniketan. Over the years, Basant Utsav has been love and enjoyed by people all over the country and now on this occasion every year, tourists flock to Shantiniketan not only from the rest of West Bengal but from also the different parts of the country.