Vishnu (Narasimha) · Krishna
Holi
The bonfire of Holika, then the day the whole country plays in colour.
Tithi: Phalguna Purnima (Dahan); Pratipada (colours)
In the simplest words
The festival of colours! First a bonfire burns away the bad (Holika), and next morning everyone plays with gulal until every face is a rainbow.
The story & purpose
The eve recalls Prahlad — the boy whose devotion fire could not touch, while Holika, who carried him into the flames, burned. Evil consumed itself; faith walked out unscorched.
The next morning belongs to Krishna's Vraja — where colour erased every difference of age, rank, and grievance. Bura na mano, Holi hai.
Braj stretches the festival across days — Vrindavan's phoolon-wali Holi, colour played with the deity himself in the temples, and a week of it in Mathura.
What is done
Holika Dahan
The community bonfire after sunset during Pradosh, with parikrama and offerings of grain.
Playing colour
Gulal and water through the morning; the afternoon for baths, sweets, and visiting.
Gujiya & thandai
The tastes of the festival, shared with neighbours.
Best timings
Dahan is done in Pradosh kaal avoiding Bhadra; colours the next morning.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition — for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Barsana plays Lathmar Holi days earlier — the women of Radha's village 'beat' the men of Krishna's.
Kumaon sings Baithki Holi — the festival as classical music gatherings.
The traditional colours were tesu (palash) blossom water, turmeric and neem — plant dyes that many hold doubled as spring skin tonics before synthetic gulal arrived.
Mantras of this festival
Note: Dahan timing depends on Bhadra; some regions played on Purnima itself.