Holi

American

[hoh-lee] / ˈhoʊ li /

noun

the Hindu spring festival.

Holi British

/ ˈhɒˌliː /

noun

a Hindu spring festival, celebrated for two to five days, commemorating Krishna's dalliance with the cowgirls. Bonfires are lit and coloured powder and water thrown over celebrants

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What is Holi? Holi is a two-day Hindu spring festival that’s primarily celebrated in India. It’s especially known for festive street celebrations in which people cover each other with colored powder.Holi is pronounced the same as the word holy.It’s sometimes known as the Festival of Colors.

Etymology

Origin of Holi

1905–10; < Hindi holī < Prakrit holiyā < Skt holikā

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some are made for celebration, like Holi or Thanksgiving, with full plates and full hearts.

From Salon

Three days after arriving in Nepal's capital, Grayson experienced Holi - the ancient Hindu festival of colours that celebrates spring, love, and new life which is traditionally celebrated by throwing bright coloured powder over family and friends.

From BBC

Millions of Indians are celebrating Holi, the festival of colours.

From BBC

She was staying in a beach hut with an Australian friend and they went to a nearby village to celebrate Holi, a Hindu festival.

From BBC

The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu festival, in a nearby village.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023