Holi, the second biggest festival of Hindu culture after Diwali, comes in the Phalgun month, which is February or March as per the Gregorian calendar.
This year, “Holi” is on Wednesday, 3rd March 2026.
However, as per “Drik Panchang," the “tithi” for “Holi” in 2026 is as follows:
Rangwali Holi on Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Purnima Tithi Begins - 05:55 PM on Mar 02, 2026
Purnima Tithi Ends - 05:07 PM on Mar 03, 2026
Kindly Note: As per the tithi, the festival is supposed to be celebrated on 3rd March. However, due to the lunar eclipse, the main celebration will take place on 4th March in North India. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, the festival will still be observed on 3rd March as per local tradition.
Also, since the lunar eclipse falls on 3rd March and will be visible in India, we highly recommend staying indoors after 1:30 PM, even if you are planning to celebrate on that day.
Ekktaa has written a detailed blog sharing insights on the total lunar eclipse, you can have a look in the blog section of ekohumm.com.
Generally, this festival lasts for a night and a day. It starts on the Purnima evening, which is celebrated as 'Holika Dahan' or 'Chhoti Holi,' and the next day as 'Holi,' 'Rangwali Holi,' 'Dol Purnima,' 'Dhuleti,' 'Dhulandi,' 'Ukuli,' 'Manjal Kuli,' 'Yaosang,' 'Shigmo,' 'Phagwah,' and 'Jajiri.'
The occasion of Holi marks the arrival of the spring harvest season and the end of winter. It's also the blossoming of love for many, and for some, it's a perfect opportunity to meet relatives and acquaintances. Hence, Holi is also known as the 'Festival of Spring' & 'Festival of Love.' Hindus, Jains and Sikhs from India and foreign countries celebrate this festival with joy and delicacy.
Celebrate this Holi with positivity and harmony in your life.
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Holi is also considered the celebration of the victory of good over evil in honour of Lord Vishnu and his devotee Prahlada. There's a great legend behind this, which finds its immense importance in the Hindu Shastras as well:
"There was a king of demons named Hiranyakashipu who was also the father of Prahlada. He has been given a boon by Lord Brahma that gave him five superior powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by astra (projectile weapons) nor by any shastra (handheld weapons), and neither on land nor in water or air.
After receiving this boon, he started considering himself the Almighty and grew arrogant. He insisted that everyone worship him only, not even Lord Vishnu. But his son, Prahlada, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, disagreed with his father's statement & continued to worship Lord Vishnu.
After making lots of attempts to stop Prahalad, his father ended up in a conspiracy along with his cruel Aunt, Holika. She was given the boon not to be burnt in fire. Hence, she took Prahlada in her lap and sat on the pyre. And she was devoured while Prahlada survived because of his deep devotion towards the Almighty, Lord Vishnu.
To protect Prahalada from his father, Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha who was half human and half lion (neither a human nor an animal), and killed Hiranyakashipu during dusk (when it was neither day nor night) at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors) on his lap (which was neither land, water, nor air) with his lion claws (which were neither astra nor shastra)."
That's why, on the night of Holika Dahan, people light bonfires and pray to Lord Vishnu that their internal evils be burnt the way cruel Holika died. People also gather around the bonfire to sing and dance.
This Holi, will you burn your inner negativity or carry it forward again?
When we surrender our negativity to the flames, we make space for light, love, and renewal. Take the first step toward inner cleansing today with an insightful astrology chart reading.
As per “Drik Panchang”, the “tithi” and “Muhurat” for “Holika Dahan” in 2026 are as follows:
Holika Dahan on Monday, March 2, 2026
Muhurta - 06:41 PM to 09:07 PM
Duration - 02 Hours 26 Mins
The next day after Holika Dahan, called ‘Rangwali Holi’ & ‘Dhulandi’, is celebrated with colour-hued powder and coloured water.
As per “Drik Panchang”, ‘Dhulandi’ is on 3rd March 2026, Tuesday.
People apply 'Gulal' (a type of colour) over the faces of others. Children seek the blessings of their elders by applying the hued colours over their feet. Many sweets like gujiya, mathri, laddus and a special drink known as bhang are also prepared by many people to add more enjoyment to the memorable moments of the festival of colours.
But have you ever wondered why we celebrate Holi with colours?
Behind this also lies an unknown fact about Lord Krishna and Radha:
As Lord Krishna had a dark complexion (saanwala) since his birth. He had an inferiority complex inside him. He used to stay worried if Radha would talk to him or not, because of the colour differences between them.
It was then that Maiyya Yashoda advised Krishna to put colour on Radha's face so that they wouldn't appear different from each other. He did the same. Since then, the playful exchange of colours has become a cherished tradition of divine love.
Ever since, this tradition of playing with colours on the festival of Holi has been continued. Because of the same reason, Holi is much popular in the Braj regions of India like Mathura, Vrindavana, Govardhan, Gokul, Nandgaon and Barsana.
In Barsana, 'Lathmar Holi' is played by the people there. Similarly, in Vrindavan, the people play Holi with flowers. In these places, the festival of Holi lasts for 7-8 days. In many places of Uttar Pradesh, Kavi Sammelan is also held in the evening. During Holi, these places become tourist attractions for many.
Apart from India, foreign countries like Guyana, the USA, Trinidad, Tobago, Nepal and Singapore also celebrate this festival of love with lots of joy and happiness.
One can find various glimpses of people playing with colours along with the Britishers on the festival of Holi, even during the Mughal Empire. The emperor of the Sikh community, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, also used to celebrate Holi in the Bilawal Gardens. Since then, Sikhs also find great importance in the festival of colours.
On the festival of Holi, apart from performing Holika Dahan, playing with colours, having sweets, dancing, and other enjoyment, many people worship and make offerings to Kamadeva, the god of love in Hindu Dharma.
Other than Holi, there's one more festival of colours, i.e., Rangapanchami, celebrated very auspiciously in India as well as many foreign places.
The fifth day (Panchami) after Holi, during the Krishna Paksha in the Phalgun month, is celebrated as 'Rangapanchami.' This year, it is on the 8th March 2026.
As per “Drik Panchang”, the “tithi” for “Rangpanchami” in 2026 is as follows:
Ranga Panchami on Sunday, March 8, 2026
Panchami Tithi Begins - 07:17 PM on Mar 07, 2026
Panchami Tithi Ends - 09:10 PM on Mar 08, 2026
Rangpanchami is another festival of colours celebrated with enthusiasm in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and many parts of northern India. Farming and fishing communities find special significance in this festival. Unlike Holi, instead of the usual colours, people use Gulal and water colours for the celebrations of Rangpanchami.
As per the historical legends, the sacred fire of Holika Dahan stimulates Panch Tatva- 'Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Sky ' in the environment and purifies both rajasic and tamasic particles. It brings a positive aura to the surroundings and fills them with purity.
Represents clarity, transformation, and inner illumination. Just as fire dissolves darkness and refines substances, the fire within us burns away confusion and brings insight, courage, and the ability to discern truth from illusion.
Represents stability and grounding. When it is balanced, we feel secure, patient, and emotionally steady. Rangapanchami reminds us to strengthen this foundation within ourselves so that life does not shake us easily.
Governs movement, breath, and life-force energy. When aligned, it supports creativity, progress, and fresh beginnings. When disturbed, it can create restlessness. Rangapanchami subtly teaches us to stabilise this energy.
Represents our emotions and relationships. A balanced water element allows compassion, adaptability, and emotional healing to flow naturally. When disturbed, it may create emotional turbulence. This festival symbolically encourages emotional cleansing and harmony.
Signifies openness and expansion. It gives us the ability to think beyond limitations and connect with higher consciousness. A balanced sky element brings mental space and spiritual growth.
The divya agni of Holika Dahan also activates various deities in the form of colours. Rangpanchami is celebrated to restore those five elements in our lives for balanced well-being. Hence, this festival is also considered a symbol of victory over "raja-tama."
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On the day of Rangpanchami, the spiritual forces are said to be more than the destructive powers. Hence, it also denotes that all the barriers coming in the path of spiritual development are going to end soon.
This Holi, as the sacred fire burns, let it take away all the negativity inside you. Ekohumm wishes you a prosperous festive season to welcome clarity, love, and balance into your life.
Ekktaa is a professional astrologer located in Pune, Maharashtra. She is also an expert in astronumero Vedic consulting. She has over 10 years of experience in Vedic astrology. In addition, she has served in corporate consulting for 12+ years. She understands modern challenges and offers solution-oriented guidance in all her consultations.
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Holi is a Hindu festival of colours that comes a day after Holika Dahan. It’s on the Purnima tithi of Phalguna month. On the other hand, Rangapanchami is a continuation of the festival of Holi. It comes on the fifth day, i.e. Panchami tithi, after Holi. This year, Holi is on the 3rd March 2026 and Rangapanchami is on the 8th March 2026.
This year, the occasion of “Dhulandi” is on the 3rd March 2026.
We all know that Holi is celebrated as the leela (divine play) of Radha-Krishna around the world. There lies a beautiful story behind this. It says that Krishna used to feel inferior due to his dark complexion. He used to stay worried if Radha would even talk to him. To this, Maiyya Yashoda told him once to apply colour (Gulal) on Radha’s face so that both of them appear the same. Since then, it has become a tradition to apply colours on each other’s faces on Holi. And, that’s how we call it the ‘festival of colours.’
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