Your Travel Partner
SINCE 1989
Your Travel Partner
SINCE 1989
Holi is India's most joyful equaliser. For one day, differences of caste, status, age and background dissolve in clouds of gulal, and strangers become friends with a smear of colour. In 2027, Holika Dahan falls on Sunday, 21 March, and Rangwali Holi (Dhulandi), the main day of colours, on Monday, 22 March. Exact timings can vary slightly by region and panchang, but those are the dates to plan your travel around.
Holi unfolds over two days, and each has its own character.
Day 1: Holika Dahan. On the evening of the full moon of Phalgun, communities light large bonfires that symbolise the victory of good over evil, drawn from the legend of Prahlad and Holika. In villages and city neighbourhoods alike, families circle the fire, offer prayers and roast grains. The bonfire also carries a seasonal meaning: it burns away the dried leaves and remnants of winter, clearing the way for spring.
Day 2: Rangwali Holi. The next morning, the streets erupt. People throw gulal (dry coloured powder) and coloured water at each other, pichkaris (water guns) come out, and cries of "Bura na mano, Holi hai!" echo everywhere. Homes fill with festive treats like gujiya, malpua and dahi bhalla, and thandai does the rounds. By afternoon, everyone looks gloriously unrecognisable, which is rather the point.
Holi is played across India, Nepal and wherever the Indian diaspora has settled, but a few places turn it into something extraordinary:
Rajasthan plays Holi with a flourish of its own. The bonfires on Holika Dahan evening are community affairs, and the next day brings gulal, kumkum and buckets of coloured water, along with folk music, dancing and home-made sweets. What sets the state apart is the royal thread running through it. Erstwhile princely families still host gatherings where old traditions, turbans and hospitality meet the happy chaos of colour.
We experienced this blend ourselves at a Holi celebration in the gardens of Narain Niwas, Jaipur, and it remains one of our most cherished festival memories.
Every guest was welcomed with a drink and handed a crisp white kurta-pajama, the traditional blank canvas for Holi colours. Our in-house expert Gajendra Singh tied turbans for everyone, travellers and locals alike. Members of a few erstwhile royal houses of Rajasthan joined in, live folk music started softly in the background, and trays of fresh snacks kept flowing from the kitchen.
The local families began the colour play with gentle tikas of gulal and warm wishes. Within an hour, the garden was a riot: running, laughing, coloured water flying, and sweets made under the watchful guidance of the ladies of the house disappearing fast. At one point, two young Irish travellers matched the local musicians with a burst of Irish step dancing, quick feet, still arms, to Rajasthani beats. Under one sky, so many cultures coloured each other. That, more than anything, is Holi.
Holi rewards the traveller who jumps in. Pick your spot, whether it is the devotional frenzy of Vrindavan or a royal garden party in Jaipur, put on that white kurta, and let the colours do the rest. Mark 21 and 22 March 2027 on your calendar, and come play Holi with Rajasthan.
