What Is Holi & Why Is It Celebrated? Plus FREE printable!

Holi, also known as the Colour Festival, is one of the most fun celebrated festivals in India where colour and fun bring families, friends and communities together. So, what is Holi and why is it celebrated? The story behind Holi goes like this…

A demon king, Hiranyakashyap, who considered himself a great man, higher than everyone, including the gods. He also had a sister, Holika, and a son, Prahlad. Now, the king didn’t like Prahlad very much as he was a true devotee of the Lord Vishnu. One day the king asked him,

“Who is the greatest, God or I?”

“God is, you are only a king,” replied Prahlad.

The king was furious about this and thereafter tried many times to murder his own son with but with no success. Since the king’s attempts weren’t working, he enrolled the help of his sister, Holika, to kill Prahlad. Holika had powers which made her immune to fire so with this in mind she caught Prahalad and sat with him in the middle of a fire which to her was a pretty good plan as she wouldn’t be affected by the fire yet Prahlad would burn to death. But anyway, because Holika was using her gift to do something evil, her power vanished and she was burned to ashes.

Prahalad stayed true to his God and sat praying to Vishnu in the lap of his demon aunt to protected him, and Prahalad survived. After a while, king Hiranyakashyap was killed by Vishnu and Prahlad took his place as king.

So, on the night before Holi, (9th March this year) a big fire is lit. This is to remember the story of Holika and Prahlad and that good will always prevail over evil.  Over the next 2 days, lots of dancing and singing in streets takes place as well as the drenching each other with coloured powder/paint.

To celebrate this event, I’ve joined together with mummy and lifestyle blogger Devina from My Little Pudding to create an awesome free printable complete with puzzles and colouring in. Her blog is full of diy’s, food & lifestyle and excellent things combining east and west traditions hence why I love it and you should go check it out too!. The printable is better printed on card with a bit of weight so get colouring! Holi Hai!

Click HERE to download the printable.

Don’t forget to tag #theplayfulindianHoli and #MyLittlePuddingHoli in your finished pieces!

Updated March 2020. FREE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR RESALE OR REDISTRIBUTION.