Holi Festival

As part of our Colour Fun day, students learned about Holi. Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna—this usually occurs in March. This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil. 

The night before Holi, people light bonfires to say goodbye to winter. They gather at temples to sing and dance to music. During the festival, families also prepare gujiya, a dumpling-like sweet that’s filled with dried fruits and nuts spiced with cardamom.

But the real fun starts on the day of Holi. That’s when people throw gulal—bright powders and water—at anybody and everybody. These colored powders have special meaning: Red dye symbolizes love; blue represents the Hindu god Krishna, and green stands for new beginnings. Hindus around the world celebrate this ancient tradition.

Find out more in this Behind the News video.

For a picture story book about Holi, read along to the Festival of Colours.