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       What to Know about Holi, India’s Most Colorful Tradition

       The ancient festival has Hindu roots, but growing numbers worldwide are taking part in the celebration, which features bonfires, singing, dancing, prayer, feasting and clouds of pigmented powder.

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       Hindu devotees celebrate the festival of Holi in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 2022.Credit...Adnan Abidi/Reuters

       By John Yoon and Hari Kumar

       March 22, 2024

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       A rainbow haze swirls through India, where raucous laughter rings out as friends and strangers douse one another with fists full of pigmented powder. It is time for the ancient Hindu tradition of Holi, an annual celebration of spring.

       In 2024, crimson, emerald, indigo and saffron clouds will hover over the country on March 25 for one of its most vibrant, joyful and colorful festivals.

       “Playing Holi,” as Indians say, has spread far beyond India’s borders.

       The revelry starts at sundown. Holi (pronounced “holy”), also known as the “festival of colors,” starts on the evening of the full moon during the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around February or March.

       It begins with the kindling of bonfires. People gather around the flames to sing, dance and pray for an evening ritual called Holika Dahan, which re-enacts the demise of a Hindu mythical demoness, Holika.

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       All sorts of things are thrown into the fires, like wood, leaves and food, in a symbolic purge of evil and triumph of good.

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       Hindu devotees offering prayers around the bonfire during Holika Dahan in Durban, India in 2020.Credit...Rajesh Jantilal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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       John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news. More about John Yoon

       Hari Kumar covers India, based out of New Delhi. He has been a journalist for more than two decades. More about Hari Kumar

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