Indians around the world would vouch for the fact that while there are many festivals that they celebrate with fervor, it is the festival of colors or Holi that they most look forward to every year, for it is a celebration like no other, and one that brings people of different communities together to eat, dance, throw colors and make merry.

This year, Holi will begin on March 28, which is a Sunday, and end on Monday, March 29.

Besides the riot of colors, the day also celebrates the season of spring and the feeling of love. It is a day when people forgive mistakes of the past and start anew. On the pious occasion, it is said that love blossoms when people smear colors on each other and mend broken relationships.

It begins on the night of Holika Dahan - a day prior to Holi - wherein the evil king Hiranyakashipu’s sister Holika was charred to death when she had sat with the young Prahlad on a pyre. The latter, devoted to Lord Vishnu, was saved from the fire by His mercy, but Holika had been engulfed. Later, the reign of Hiranyakashipu, too, was brought to an end, when he was killed at the claws of Lord Narasimha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu.

As such, Holi - just like many other Hindu festivals - celebrates the victory of good over evil.

Another legend associated with the festival is that of Lord Krishna - another avatar of Lord Vishnu - and his consort Radha. In the Braj region of India - where Krishna is believed to have grown up - the festival is celebrated until Rang Panchmi, in commemoration of the divine love between Radha and Krishna. While Krishna, a dark-skinned lad once playfully complained to his mother about his complexion, she told him that Radha would like him as he is, and that he can even ask her to paint his face and hers in any color of her choice. While Radha agreed to this, the color that was on her face, reflected on his and vice-versa. Thus, this was the occasion wherein RadhaKrishna became one, and came to be understood as a part of one another.

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 Holika Dahan or Holi bonfire is performed a day before the Holi festival. People play with dry and wet colours in the morning to commemorate the festivity.

Holi is also one of the biggest festivals of Hindus which is marked with special occurrences in Mathura, Barsana and other places related to Lord Krishna. It is also the most awaited festival in North India. As Holi is around the corner, share these Happy Holi 2021 wishes, messages, images with your loved ones on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Share Happy Holi 2021 messages, greetings, wishes, images, stickers with your friends and family on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook
May this Holi brings happiness, colours, joy to your life. Happy Holi!
Happy Holi to you and your family my dear friend!
May you get all the happiness, success, and good health on this occasion. Happy Holi!
May your life be full of colours, happiness, and vigour. Happy Holi 2021!
Radha ka rang aur Kanha ki pichkari, Pyar ke rang se rang do duniya sari, Ye rang na jaane koi jaat na koi boli, Badhayi ho aapko rang bhari Holi!!
May this Holi bring lots and lots of colourful seasons and days in your life filled with plenty of happiness and love. Wish you a very Happy Holi!

The continuous rise in COVID cases has forced authorities in many states and UTs to impose a ban on Holi, Shab-e-Barat and Navratri celebrations.

 Delhi- Public celebrations and gatherings, congregations during upcoming festivals like Holi, Shab-e-Barat, Navratri etc shall not be allowed in public places/public grounds/public parks/markets/religious places etc in NCT of Delhi, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) ordered March 23.

Maharashtra - 
Mumbai- On March 23, the BMC issued an order prohibiting the playing of Holi at public places and private spaces.

Pune- The district and civic authorities in Pune have banned celebrations of Holi on March 28 and Dhulivandan on March 29 in public and private places, including hotels, resorts, etc. The ban is on the celebration of festivals in a private or public way.

Uttar Pradesh- On March 23 the Uttar Pradesh government issued guidelines for celebrations of Holi, wherein permission has to be taken for any public function or procession that is organized on Holi. The organizers of the functions will have to ensure that social distancing is maintained and other COVID-19 protocols are followed even after obtaining permission. Meanwhile, People above 60 years, children below 10 years and those having comorbidities have been advised to remain indoors during the festival.

Noida- The Noida and Greater Noida administrations have banned the public celebration of Holi. The Gautam Budh Nagar Police had earlier limited the number of guests at Holi parties to 50 with an undertaking from the organiser.

4. Haryana- Haryana on March 24 banned public celebrations of Holi in the wake of rising cases of COVID-19. "The Haryana government has banned public celebrations of Holi in view of (rise in a number of cases of) corona…" Haryana Home and Health minister Anil Vij had tweeted.

5. Chandigarh- The Union Territory on March 25 banned celebrations of Holi at Sukhna Lake, Sector-17 Plaza and all public government parks. Restriction on entry to these places will remain in effect from 6 am to 6 pm on March 29. Recently, the UT administration had banned public gatherings for Holi celebrations and advised residents to observe Holi festival in their own houses, while strictly following Covid protocols.

6. Rajasthan- Amid a massive surge in Coronavirus cases, The Rajasthan Home Department on March 25, banned gatherings at public places, markets and religious places for Holi on March 28 and Shab-e-Barat on March 29.

7. Gujarat- On March 21, the Gujarat government said that no permission will be granted for the festival of Holi and violators will be strictly  punished. Only the ‘Holika Dahan’ ritual will be allowed by the government, which will be celebrated in the presence of a limited number of people in villages and housing societies.

8. Karnataka- The has state government has banned public gatherings for upcoming festivals such as Holi, Ugadi, Shab-e-Barat and Good Friday across the state. Public gatherings will not be allowed in public grounds, parks, markets and religious places.

9. Odisha- The state has banned celebrations of Holi in public places. People have been allowed to celebrate Holi with family members inside their houses.

10. West Bengal- Gated communities in the state have been advised not to allow Holi gatherings. Clubs have also been told to not hold any Holi celebrations.

11. Bihar- The Bihar administration has banned ‘Holi-Milan’ gatherings in the state to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

12. Madhya Pradesh- With lockdown imposed in Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur and several other cities, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that "people should avoid crowded places and also stop taking part in the festivities for some time. Even the Holi festival must be celebrated at home only."