Holi 2025: Discover Ancient Origin Of The Colourful Festival And The First Celebration Of Holi

Holi is celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country, with people applying colours to each other.

Holi 2025: Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy across India. It is one of the most significant festivals in Hindu culture. A day before Holi, the ritual of Holika Dahan is performed, followed by Rangwali Holi the next day. On this occasion, people come together to play with colours, apply gulal on each other, and enjoy splashing water with balloons and pichkaris. This year, Holika Dahan will take place on March 13, 2025, and Rangwali Holi will be celebrated on March 14, 2025.

The Ancient Origin Of Holi:

According to ancient legends, the festival of colours was first played not on Earth but in Devaloka (the celestial realm). Several mythological tales link Holi to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. As per the Harihar Purana, the first-ever Holi was initiated by Lord Shiva, in a story connected to Kamadeva, the god of love, and his consort Rati.

It is believed that when Lord Shiva was deep in meditation on Mount Kailash, Kamadeva and Rati performed a celestial dance to awaken him, as it was necessary for Shiva to come out of his trance to defeat the demon Tarakasura. Disturbed by this, Shiva became enraged and burned Kamadeva to ashes with his fiery gaze.

Overcome with grief, Rati pleaded for Kamadeva’s restoration. Moved by her devotion, Shiva revived Kamadeva, bringing immense joy to the divine realm. To celebrate this momentous occasion, Rati and Kamadeva organised a grand feast in Braj, attended by celestial beings. It is believed that on this day — the full moon of the Phalguna month (Falgun Purnima) — Rati marked the occasion by applying sandalwood paste (chandan tika), which later evolved into the tradition of playing with colours.

The First Celebration Of Holi:

Another legend from the Harihar Purana states that during the celestial feast, Lord Shiva played his damaru (drum), Lord Vishnu played the flute, Goddess Parvati played the veena, and Goddess Saraswati sang springtime melodies. This joyous atmosphere led to the tradition of celebrating Holi with music, dance, and colours on Phalguna Purnima.

Offering Colours To Deities Before Playing Holi:

Due to these divine origins, it is considered auspicious to first offer colours to the gods and goddesses before playing Holi. The ritual of Holika Dahan, performed the night before Holi, symbolises the victory of good over evil. Many devotees also use the sacred ash (bhasma) from Holika Dahan to perform Shiva’s abhishek (ritual offering) before indulging in the vibrant festivities.

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