--- title: Holi 2018: Why People Celebrate the 'Festival of Colors' description: Google unveils a festive Doodle honoring Holi, a Hindu festival that marks the coming of spring also known as the "festival of colors" canonical: https://time.com/5182369/what-is-holi-2018/ author: Casey Quackenbush article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-02T06:39:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T21:34:11.000Z og:title: Why Holi Is the 'Festival of Colors' og:description: Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the coming of spring og:url: https://time.com/5182369/what-is-holi-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23852e4eb9aa65d1/698929674ee26261623110fc/holi-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6000 og:image:height: 3375 og:image:alt: Indian Soldiers Celebrate Holi In Kashmir og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Holi Is the 'Festival of Colors' twitter:description: Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the coming of spring twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt23852e4eb9aa65d1/698929674ee26261623110fc/holi-2018.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Holi Is the 'Festival of Colors' > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) and [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:34 PM UTCPublished: Mar 2, 2018 6:39 AM UTC  SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, INDIA - MARCH 02: Indian Border Security Force (BSF) troopers, in civvies, smeared in colour dance during Holi celebrations at their camp on March 06, 2018 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Millions of Indian government forces, who are posted in Kashmir to fight Muslim rebels in the Muslim majority state of Kashmir celebrated Hindu festival of Holi with their families today. The spring festival of colours is celebrated by Hindus around the world in an explosion of colour to mark the end of the winter and the beginning of spring. India has close to a million soldiers posted in Kashmir, making the disputed Himalayan region one of the most militarized zones in the world. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images) SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, INDIA - MARCH 02: Indian Border Security Force (BSF) troopers, in civvies, smeared in colour dance during Holi celebrations at their camp on March 06, 2018 in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Millions of Indian government forces, who are posted in Kashmir to fight Muslim rebels in the Muslim majority state of Kashmir celebrated Hindu festival of Holi with their families today. The spring festival of colours is celebrated by Hindus around the world in an explosion of colour to mark the end of the winter and the beginning of spring. India has close to a million soldiers posted in Kashmir, making the disputed Himalayan region one of the most militarized zones in the world. (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)Yawar Nazir—Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) and [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:34 PM UTCPublished: Mar 2, 2018 6:39 AM UTC On Friday, Google unveiled a festive [Google Doodle](https://www.google.com/) in honor of Holi, a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors,” Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons. ## What is Holi? Rooted in Hindu mythology, Holi also celebrates the triumph of good over evil — symbolism that correlates with the passing of winter. The Holi Festival’s history stems from the legend of a female demon and her brother, who believed was the ruler of the universe, [according to CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/asia/india-holi-explainer-intl/index.html). His son, however, followed Vishnu, the protector of the universe, turning his back on the demon. The demon siblings plotted to kill the sun, but failed and died after Vishnu protected the son, who in turn became the king. ## How is Holi celebrated? Today’s Google Doodle provides a snapshot of Holi celebrations. > [](https://twitter.com/SrBachchan/status/969301942810787840) Amid vibrant bursts of color, a troupe of _dhol_ players — a traditional wooden drum played in South Asia — dance around and splash each other with water and powder colored red, yellow, blue and green. The scene depicts the classic Holi traditions of family and friends coming together to laugh, dance, and feast. > [](https://twitter.com/soundaryaarajni/status/969510253443170307) Each color also carries a meaning. Red symbolizes love and fertility; yellow is the color of turmeric, a powder native to India and used as a natural remedy; blue represents the Hindu God Krishna; and green is for new beginnings. ## When is Holi 2018? Holi is a national holiday that usually occurs in March on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month. This year, Holi falls on March 2. ## Other things to know about Holi While the celebration itself is based on a Hindu legend, the throwing of colored powder originates [from a separate story](http://time.com/4696979/holi-hindu-holiday-india-nepal/). Krishna, who has blue skin, is in love with Radha. With Krishna unhappy with the difference in skin color, Krishna’s mother suggests he colors Radha with paint, leading to the colorful powder celebration. In some areas the celebrations last longer than a day. 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