2026 Holi · Mumbai

Holi is the Hindu festival of colours, held on the day after the Phalguna full moon (Purnima) to welcome spring and celebrate good defeating evil. In 2026, Holika Dahan, the bonfire night, was on Monday, 2 March in Mumbai, and Rangwali Holi, the day of colours, followed on Tuesday, 3 March. North India, including Delhi, kept 3 and 4 March.

When is Holi in 2026, 2027 and 2028?

Holi comes in two parts. Holika Dahan is lit on the evening of Phalguna Purnima, ideally after Bhadra (an inauspicious half of the tithi) has ended. Colours are played the next morning.

Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST). In some years local panchangs differ by a day on Holika Dahan because of how they handle Bhadra, so follow your temple or family priest if they name a different evening.

Significance and story

Holi is loud, messy and joyful, but it rests on an old story about faith.

Prahlada and Holika

The demon king Hiranyakashipu had won a boon that made him almost impossible to kill, and he demanded that everyone worship him. His young son Prahlada refused and kept praying to Vishnu. After many failed attempts on the boy's life, the king turned to his sister Holika, who had a cloak that protected her from fire. She sat in a blazing pyre with Prahlada on her lap. The cloak flew from her to the boy: Holika burned, and Prahlada walked out unharmed. Vishnu later appeared as Narasimha, half man and half lion, to end the king's tyranny. The Holika Dahan bonfire recalls that night, when arrogance burned and devotion survived.

Krishna, Radha and the colours

The playful side of Holi comes from the Braj region around Mathura and Vrindavan. Young Krishna, worried that his dark skin set him apart from fair Radha, was told by his mother Yashoda to colour Radha's face any shade he liked. The teasing game became a festival, and Braj still celebrates Holi for days, with temple songs and showers of flower petals.

Kama and Shiva

In parts of South India the full moon night is Kama Dahanam. It remembers Shiva burning Kama, the god of love, with his third eye when Kama disturbed his meditation. Kama was later restored at Rati's plea, a reminder that desire can be tamed but not destroyed.

A spring festival

Beyond the myths, Holi marks the end of winter and the ripening of the rabi crop. Roasting new grain in the bonfire is an old harvest thanksgiving, and the colours echo the flowers of the season.

How to do Holika Dahan puja (vidhi)

The bonfire is lit after sunset on Phalguna Purnima, at a time free of Bhadra Mukha. Check the live muhurat for your city above.

1. In the days before, the community gathers wood and dried cow-dung cakes at a crossroads or open ground and builds the Holika pyre, often with a small figure of Prahlada in the middle.
2. On the evening, bathe and bring a puja plate with water, roli or kumkum, unbroken rice, flowers, turmeric, moong dal, coconut, batasha, raw cotton thread and fresh ears of wheat or green gram.
3. Sit facing east or north near the pyre, take a sankalpa, and remember Narasimha and Prahlada.
4. Offer water, kumkum, rice, flowers and sweets to the pyre.
5. Walk around the pyre three or seven times while winding the raw cotton thread around it.
6. Light the fire at the chosen muhurat and offer the new grain, coconut and gram into the flames.
7. Roast a few ears of wheat in the fire and eat them as prasad. Many people carry a little ash home, believing it protects the household.
8. The next morning, apply gulal to elders' feet and loved ones' faces, then play with colours, share gujiya and thandai, and visit friends.

Regional variations

• Barsana and Nandgaon (Uttar Pradesh): In Lathmar Holi, women of Barsana playfully beat the men of Nandgaon with sticks while the men shield themselves, re-enacting Krishna's visits to Radha's village.
• Vrindavan: Temples hold Phoolon wali Holi, playing with flower petals instead of powder.
• West Bengal and Odisha: Holi is Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima. Images of Radha and Krishna are carried on decorated swings, and Shantiniketan holds Basanta Utsav with songs and dances.
• Maharashtra: The bonfire night is Holi or Shimga, colours follow on Dhulivandan, and Rang Panchami, five days later, is another big day of colour.
• Goa and the Konkan: Shigmo brings folk dances and processions with floats.
• Punjab: The day after Holi, Sikhs celebrate Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib with martial arts displays.
• Manipur: Yaosang runs over several days, with sports, songs and the Thabal Chongba dance.

Frequently asked questions

Updated on 16 October 2026. Dates are calculated for Mumbai (IST); the calculator above gives timings for your city.