Talk:Holi

States where Holi is not celebrated

Kerala state does not celebrate holi. The festival was unknown in Kerala till the invasion of Kerala kingdoms by India in 1947. It is interesting that this state does not have many of the Indian festivals. It is uncertain if Hiranyakashypu and Holika were based in Kerala. The King Mahabali (a good king defeated by vishu awtar vaamana but unscrupuluous means) was also from Kerala. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.48.79.247 (talk) 23:04, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

Missing

This article is great but there need to be some benchods added. 86.185.223.7 (talk) 21:45, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Other places Holi is celebrated

Holi is quite similar to pagan festival of Summer Solstice

Ritual Bonfire in particular, also both herald and celebrate coming of Spring/Summer.

Due to Equatorial Polar Shift there is difference in months . Just as Summer starts now near Northern Poles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer

---

x-------------------------- — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.179.104.213 (talk) 03:39, 20 June 2013 (UTC)

Just checked google news and it looks like its celebrated with the usual colours and a parade as well in Jersey City, USA. There's gotta be other places in the U.S. also celebrating similarly. Anyone up for writing up a section under the Diaspora heading about how Holi is celebrated in the U.S.? I might attack when I get some time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shilpanicodemus (talk • contribs) 00:42, 20 March 2011 (UTC)

There was a large Holi Festival held on March 26th and 27th, 2011 in Spanish Fork, Utah. I don't know how to embed a link on the main page, so here it is. http://www.utahkrishnas.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100&Itemid=190 A nice video that was posted on London Daily Mail is here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370402/Mormons-Hindu-colour-filled-festival-celebrate-spring-descends-Utah.html

UserHoople365 05:39, 28 March 2011 (UTC)

Re : When is Holi ?

Holi in 2005 actually started today (March) and will continue until the end of day tomorrow (March 26th). Because the Hindu calendar is lunar, the date will vary from year to year, but is usually around mid-late March.

Yes, I understand why it's a different date in the Gregorian calendar. Now, I am asking when it is this year, 2006. Is it March 14 or 15 ? Can someone familiar with this holiday confirm the dates and put it in the article, please ? Future dates would also help. Thanks. -- PFHLai 16:57, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

I have just added the 2006 dates, provided by User:Bhadani. Can someone add the future dates, please ? Thanks. -- PFHLai 17:36, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

Why was the mention of bhang removed in this edit? It's an integral part of Holi. Reverted to this one. Whitehat 16:18, 7 March 2006 (UTC)
Guys, the date of Holi in 2008 in incorrect. I advise you double check it.

Can you please include why we celebrating holy. in this page it mentions that who all are celebrating and how did they celebrate. if so it will be helpful. Thanks (Swathi) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.245.63.107 (talk) 15:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

I just changed the date for Holi in 2008. According to several calendars I have consulted, it falls on Saturday, March 22, not on February 21. If I'm mistaken, please change it back. But I'm pretty sure I'm right. Smalek (talk) 02:31, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Factual Error in the data and details

It mentions that - 'Holi or Phagwah (Bhojpuri </wiki/Bhojpuri>) is an annual Hindu </wiki/Hindu> spring </wiki/Spring_%28season%29> festival. It takes place over two days around late March </wiki/March> or early April </wiki/April>. As per the Hindu </wiki/Hindu> calendar </wiki/Calendar>, it falls on the last day on the month of Phalgun (फाल्गुन), which is a Purnima (or Pooranmashi) Full Moon </wiki/Full_Moon> on a Purnima (or Pooranmashi) Full Moon </wiki/Full_Moon>, and on the first day of Chaitra (
चैत्र). It is a celebration also of the Hindu New Year, as Chaitra is the first month of the Hindu Year'.

This data is totally wrong. Holi falls on the Full moon of month of Phalgun that is correct. But it never falls on 1st day of Chaitra. In Hindu calendar, month has 30 days - first 15 days are of full moon (waxing moon) and next 15 days are of waning moon. Every hindu calendar month ends on Amavasya and not on Full moon. So after Holi Full moon, there are next 15 days of the month of Phalgun and after Phalgun Amavasya, there is Chaitra Shudha Pratipada (1st day of Chaitra) which is Hindu new year. This new year day is called Gudipadawa in Maharashtra, Ugadi in Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhrapradesh.

Website http://www.destinationindia.com can give more detailed and correct information about Hindu festivals.

So in summary, Holi is NOT the 'First day of Hindu New Year'. Please correct this fact and data. Hope whoever put this information, is informed about this critical error.

If you have any doubts you can contact me on manjusha_kamble@vsnl.net

Not true, If the month starts after a full moon or a no moon is by convention. Half of the country has one convention and half has the other convention. Kaveri (talk)

Is the link (www.carmaworld.com/monthpicks.aspx?catid=83) -- Holi Hai -- really that good? It has only commercial content. Are commercials appreciated in an encyclopaedia? -- mohansn

The mention that "in rural Maharashtra it is known as Rangapanchami" is completely wrong. As its name suggests "Panchami" is 5th day after Paurnima. Obviously Rangapanchami can't be on Holi's day.

In Maharashtra - rural or urban - holi has always been about burning the evil and never about colors. Rangapanchami is a different festival celebrated on Panchami following the Holi. As kids we used to cool down the hot remains of holi with colored water used to play Rangapanchami on the 5th day.

Due to tremendous influx of North Indians to Maharashtra, Maharashtrians have actually forgotten their own traditions and have started celebrating Holi as a festiva of colors as in North. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mayureshw (talk • contribs) 04:39, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

Picture

I'm not very impressed with the picture. A bunch of kids spraying each other with paint on a university lawn is not very evocative or distinctive to this holiday. Do we have any better pictures, perhaps ones of Holi religious ceremonies in South Asia? Babajobu 18:03, 15 March 2006 (UTC)

I can see it getting replaced with something better, but I think it should be kept until there is a problem finding a place for it. I brought in a new image, if you havn't seen. Cheers, Sam Spade 12:21, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

The main picture is a terrible representation of Holi. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.99.92.125 (talk) 02:17, 16 March 2009 (UTC) RFYJFVNVNVN — Preceding unsigned comment added by 182.66.29.168 (talk) 07:17, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

article merger from 16th March 2006 Navi Mumbai riot

I am recommending an article merger of this information as it was recently placed in WP:PROD. As there are reports of riots during Islamic Hajj and Christian pilgrimages, I felt it best to pass the information here so that the editors will do what they feel is most useful from it.--み使い Mitsukai 06:14, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

A merge would be fine; I just don't want a whole article on a single event that only injured 50 people. This isn't Wikinews. Melchoir 06:31, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

I would like to strongly oppose merger. Holi is prominent and historic festival, and such events occur on every Holi (every year) hundreds of times across India. Just that this news got its article doesn't justify its merger with the general event. Riots have no connection with spirit or idea of Holi, except they happened on this day. In fact, I would be okay if that article (on riot) be deleted as its hardly a news worthy or encyclopedic event (no sentiments please, lets be factual).AshishG talk_{23:39, 17 March 2006.}

I don't really think a merger would be a good idea - it would throw the article out of balance - compared to the festival as a whole, this event is trivial. Including it would, IMO, violate the whole "undue weight" idea. Guettarda 06:59, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Well, I agree with both of you as well. Who wants to AfD it? Melchoir 08:33, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Please don't merge it. A link of in "See this also" section may be better idea. Wces423 10:48, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

I do not understand how linking a riot which does not have anything to do with Holi is going to help the article. Just because the word "Holi" appears in the riot article does not warrant it to be linked to Holi.--Chsunil 22:45, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Fine, I'll do it. Melchoir 03:03, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

On second thought, it seems that violence is continuing. I don't want to AfD it yet, or perhaps at all; the original article will still need a name change at the very least, though. Melchoir 03:11, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Name change definitely required. I not following this event particularly, but I don't see this news in prominence in Indian media itself (which I am following) so I wouldn't mind AfD. AshishG^talk _{02:01, 19 March 2006.}

Strongly oppose merge. These are very different entities. Maybe link to the riots under a subsection of problems during holi ? Pradiptaray 09:33, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

I STRONGLY oppose the merger....it's really not relevant to the topic

I also strongly oppose the merger as I do not see any relation between a riot happening somewhere in India to a festival which is celebrated all over india (mostly). They do not relate at all This is Tanul | Wanna Talk 07:24, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I also strongly OPPOSE the merge. —Adityanath 17:59, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

I STRONGLY discourage the merger of such news with the HOLI article.This article is a information article on HOLI a festival in INDIA and NEPAL and its historical significance. There is no need to introduce communal tension in this information.

Strongly oppose. This would be akin to merging the article on the Easter Rising with the article on Easter or Tet offensive with Tet. (I'm sure many more parallels could be found). Holi is an Indian festival. Why should it be merged with an incident that took place in one particular year? (Also, the sooner the merger sign is taken down the better. The merger suggestion has been made on very dubious grounds and the sign only disfigures the article). User:Bathrobe (not logged in)

Okay, I probably should explain my reasoning (should have done that earlier; mea culpa). The reason I recommended the merger between the pages is that (from what I saw), there was a correlation between the riots and the holiday. Considering that the page on Muslim hajj contains information on similar situations (there is also the fork article Incidents during the Hajj), and the Mumbai article itself states that: The residents of Simplex Colony alleged that the villagers from the Agri community were using the Holi festival as an excuse for eve teasing, I felt that this might be a situation that required detailing as such.

If the 2006 riots have nothing to do with holi (which, again, from my POV, it seemed that they did), then I'll be fine with a cancellation of a merger. I'm not out to offend anyone at all; I merely thought that it was a valid point, enough so that I'm looking for similar instances in other religions (aside from hajj incidents) so that I don't appear hypocritical or anti-Hindu. Hope this explains my reasoning, and apologies if I've offended anyone (which, again, I was not out to do).--み使い Mitsukai 12:50, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

• Oppose as articulated by User:Bathrobe. While the riots may have been at the time of the festival and even triggered by it, we would not mix incidents at the time of festivals with a general encyclopedic article on the festival Anything more than a see also level of mention seems inappropriate unless that incident has distorted the way the festival is celebrated or whatever - I don't believe these riots were that significant. Given the opposition and the comments of User:Mitsukai of 6 April, I will untag.--A Y Arktos\^talk 22:52, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

I think it's only fair that I now advertise the AfD here: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/16th March 2006 Navi Mumbai riot. Melchoir 23:18, 11 April 2006 (UTC) ...Right, it's gone. Melchoir 19:13, 16 April 2006 (UTC) the hindu religion is graet and this festival sounds very interesting

Similar customs

In the Greek village Galaxidi there is a custom of throwing meal/flour at each other on Clean Monday (there is mention of this in the Greek version of the article). This custom seems to bear resemblance to Holi. Should this maybe be mentioned? — Hrothberht 22:26, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

Merge from Dol-Purnima

It was proposed on Dol-Purnima that it be merged with this article. I have replaced the tag there, with one asking to merge into this one, and tagged here also. I have no opinion one way or the other, but I will do the merge and redirect Dol-Purnima here unless someone objects. --Selket ^Talk 00:18, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I am not sure if the article on Dol Purnima should be merged with holi. In west bengal the festival called "Dol Yatra" happens on a day which is 1 day off from the date of Holi (I forgot if it happes the day before or the day after). But other than the playing with colors rest of the customs and rituals also have lot of differences. In bengali custom there is no burning of the effigy of the demoness Holica which is the north Holi for the rest of the north Indians, instead there are some Vaishnav customs some of which is described in the Dol-Purnima article. Also there are customs of eating a hard sugary candy called Math which comes in various shapes. and many such other rituals in Dol. --Dr.saptarshi 04:38, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

I Strongly urge not to merge the two entity. They are two different festivals with different significances for Hindus from different regions. Dr.saptarshi has made some very valid points against this motion. Holi has significance to all hindus but Dol Purnima mainly has a following in the Begali community. Also Dol Purnima is more of a procession but Holi is considered as more of a communal get together. --AChhawal 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Please fix

"Pink contains cancer" ?

Why is this article so skewed to what's wrong with Holi?

Half the article is about toxicity of color agents and deforestation from fires. The Wikipedia article on Christmas doesn't spend half its verbiage on the evils of Christmas trees and how candy canes cause diabetes. The Easter article isn't all about the horrors of Peeps. I don't object to the inclusion of these things, but a Westerner reading this article would conclude that Holi is a festival when people throw deadly poisons on each other.Ninquerinquar 23:41, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree. The first half of the article is informative, the environmental section just screams "Western viewpoint." Darius 23:25, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Environmental impacts of Indian festivals

The toxic impacts of the chemical colours used during Holi is not simply a 'Western' perspective. These colours are remnants of industrial processes, can contain powdered glass and even engine oils. Several Indians have chosen to stop playing Holi because of the skin rashes and eye trouble they have sufferred due to these colours. It is very important to let people know about the toxic impacts as well as give them eco sensitive alternatives so that can indeed play a safe and natural Holi. As of today, yes, Holi has become a festival where people are throwing deadly poisons at each other. Shethgutman (talk) 06:31, 26 January 2008 (UTC)shethgutman

Alright but this is an encyclopedia article, not a Public Service Announcement. Let's keep the warning to a minimum. 24.144.116.147 (talk) 21:41, 3 April 2009 (UTC)

removed typo

removed typo "others[l]".

Also:

"... a certain community..."?

the article doesn't seem to explain *when* Holi actually is

It says that it takes place over two days in either late February or early March, and that it falls on the full moon that in 2008 takes place on the 22nd of March. What it doesn't explains is how exactly these dates are derived, i.e. how is it decided which full moon is the full moon that Holi falls on? Compare this to the Easter article which clearly states that easter takes place on the: "First Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21". This article needs a succinct explanation like that. --86.135.178.19 (talk) 16:18, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Holi date 2009

On the Hindi article about Holi there seems to be a date telling when Holi will be in 2009. I'm not really capable of reading Hindi ... can someone competent please insert the correct date here in the English article? Thanks! jo) --JoWi (talk) 00:42, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Errors in "Significance" Section

The 6th paragraph reads, "Holi is a festival of radiance (Teja) in the universe. During this festival, different"...obviously incomplete.

Also, why are there two instances of the painting from the Smithsonian? CWPappas (talk) 03:55, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

Shiva and Vaishnava views.

There are two aspects of Holi, one is that held by the Vaishnavites that Holi is celebrated as the burning of Demoness Holika and the other held by the Shivites that Holi is celebrated as burning of Love God Kama, this article gives more significance to the Vaishnava view. NaveenB (talk) 16:58, 1 September 2009 (UTC) Naveen

other languages

Hi, does anyone know how to type Holi in Telugu/Tamil/Kannada etc.? could they add it please?

Spelling mistakes

Prahlada's name in the 1st section is misspelled as is Vaishnava in the lower section. can someone also make these corrections?

• Are you sure that this isn't simply a difference in spelling? However an article should be consistent in the spellings that it uses WhisperToMe (talk) 19:42, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Sources

• "Painted people celebrate Holi." CNN. March 22, 2011.

WhisperToMe (talk) 19:42, 22 March 2011 (UTC)

Phagwah

If there's a redirect from "Phagwah", there ought to atleast be a mention of it in the article. Osakadave (talk) 14:19, 23 March 2011 (UTC)

Hi! I agree, and so have added a reference to Phagwah at the start of the article. It is confusing to readers who are redirected here otherwise... Thanks, (Loriski (talk) 23:29, 22 May 2012 (UTC))

Picture: A Natural Holi in Pune, an alternative to synthetic colors

This image makes it seem as though synthetic dyes are bright/vibrant and natural dyes are murky/dark. All the other pictures show bright colours used while this one uses icky green. If synthetic dyes are always brighter than natural colours then this should be stated explicitly, if not then should the image should be changed to something more representative? 91.125.178.89 (talk) 22:27, 13 May 2011 (UTC)

File:A Holi Festival - Krishna Radha and Gopis.jpg Nominated for Deletion

An image used in this article, File:A Holi Festival - Krishna Radha and Gopis.jpg, has been nominated for deletion at Wikimedia Commons in the following category: Deletion requests April 2012 What should I do? Don't panic; a discussion will now take place over on Commons about whether to remove the file. This gives you an opportunity to contest the deletion, although please review Commons guidelines before doing so. If the image is non-free then you may need to upload it to Wikipedia (Commons does not allow fair use) If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale then it cannot be uploaded or used. To take part in any discussion, or to review a more detailed deletion rationale please visit the relevant image page (File:A Holi Festival - Krishna Radha and Gopis.jpg) This is Bot placed notification, another user has nominated/tagged the image --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 15:42, 13 April 2012 (UTC)

Holi in Karnataka

"Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Holi is celebrated with much fervor here" I don't know about Andhra Pradesh, but according to some of my acquaintances who were born and who still live in Karnataka, it is not this much celebrated there and is much more a "North Indian thing". I was in Karnataka during Holi this year and although I saw a few individuals wearing colors on their faces, it did not seem to be celebrated this much. Does anybody have sources / more information about this? Regagain (talk) 21:03, 22 May 2012 (UTC)

Holi - multiple reasons for its celebration

I have reverted the changes made to the lead, where reliable sources were deleted, and a website's multiple histories for Holi (see this) was cherry picked to give undue emphasis to one - the Krishna legend. This violates WP:NPOV and WP:DUE policies of wikipedia.

Holi is celebrated for many reasons in different parts of India, as explained in cited sources. Lets discuss changes to lead, and reliability of sources here on the talk page. Abbey kershaw (talk) 07:30, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

Bhang

Please stop removing the well-cited information about what is considered the official drink of Holi. There is no justification to remove this from the encyclopedia, and indeed none was cited when the content was removed. Thank you for your consideration. petrarchan47tc 07:44, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

I am glad that you went to the talk page, but please don't hesitate to revert content blanking that is without reason. Also, possibly issue them a warning with Twinkle. Ging287 (talk) 13:25, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

It has happened again, it seems some people are using this page to promote a certain holiday or religion, whilst suppressing encyclopedic content that they may perceive as harmful to the topic. I will revert back (and at some point will look into Twinkle, thanks!) petrarchan47tc 22:34, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

Hello @Petrarchan47, please do not misrepresent sources. You first alleged Bhang is an official drink, then it is a standard drink, now you allege it is "synonymous" with Holi. I have read your two sources, and nowhere is such a claim made. Please explain why this is consistent with WP:NOR content guidelines. Also also explain why this is WP:DUE to be included in WP:LEAD. I urge we discuss it here on the talk page, before you try adding it back (see WP:BRD). Abbey kershaw (talk) 00:48, 30 March 2014 (UTC)

Hi there Abbey, please don't misrepresent me, and don't suggest that Wikipedia articles mention things without definitions. This is an encyclopedia, yet when I visited this page, it eluded to Bhang in the Intro and mentions it in the body, but nowhere was it defined. I fail to see how this can be justified. I sought to add a definition for those readers who want the information and aren't familiar with the drink or festival, but it seems literally nothing I try to quote is acceptable.

Here is the first attempt to add a def:

From the Times of India NEW DELHI: If Holi has an official drink, it's bhang. It's difficult to tell when the association of bhang with the festival began, but old-timers say they were always a combo. Perhaps, it was because bhang was Lord Shiva's nectar, or perhaps because bhang gives a long and sophisticated high - just the thing that goes well with a day-long celebration.

My added text was: Bhang, made from cannabis, milk and various spices, is considered the "official drink" of Holi.

This was removed in a series of edits, but no reason was given that I can see. So, I tried again. You then reverted it, saying "Checked source; speculation such as "if holi has an official drink,..." cannot be written as "is official drink"; it is also WP:UNDUE."

Official drink:

• the Indian Express: Bhang, the drink patronised by Lord Shiva is the same drink with which Amitabh Bacchan tried wooing Rekha on screen in the ever green song Rang Barse in Silsila, it is also the official drink of Holi.

• India.com: For many of those celebrating Holi, the festival of colours is incomplete without a glass of flavoured Bhang. This traditional Holi beverage, made out of cannabis, is an indispensable part of the festivities.

Other mentions:

• TIME the drug has a long history of use in the country, tied to certain ecstactic rituals of both Muslims and Hindus in the subcontinent. During Holi, a Hindu spring festival of color, bhang has long been traditionally mixed into a delicious concoction of milk, sugar, spices and almonds and imbibed by all.

• Yahoo: Over the years, Bollywood films and songs have touched upon bhang intake and its effects in various ways.

• IE It's common: The neighbourhoods of the capital erupted into celebrations. Elders hugged, laughed, drank 'thandai' -- an intoxicant made of 'bhang' or cannabis -- and offered sweet gujiyas to visitors.

• My Bangalore Holi is celebrated on “Phalgun Purnima” day, the last full moon day of lunar calendar. People enjoy the day by applying colorful abeer and gulal on each other’s face, throwing them in the air as well as having thandai or bhang.

• The Huffington Post, in its coverage of Holi, says this in its second paragraph: Holi celebrations are particularly riotous in India as social rules are relaxed. Colored water is squirted on passers-by, and people are dunked into muddy water. Many people consume bhang, an intoxicating drink made from the female cannabis plant.

• Atlantic bhang—cannabis leaves that are crushed, mixed into drinks and sweets, and often served during Hindu holidays like Holi... it’s one day of the year when consuming marijuana is socially acceptable. There are even Bollywood songs extolling bhang’s virtues...

• TOI Legend has it that Lord Shiva loved to guzzle bhang, and hence the tradition of mixing bhang on this crazy day of colours.

I am concerned that censorship is being embraced at this page using ignorance as an excuse. No one can argue with a straight face, having done any bit of research into this, that Bhang should not be defined in the Intro of this article (and flushed out further in the body), and that it is not nearly synonymous with Holi (" unless you're Mormon). To call my attempt to add a simple definition "original research" indicates that you may need to do a bit more research of your own into the role of Bhang in Holi celebrations.petrarchan47tc 03:14, 30 March 2014 (UTC)

@Petrarchan47 - There is a difference between the following: (1) If Holi has an official drink, it's bhang. (2) Bhang is the official drink of Holi. The former discloses a conditional doubt, which cannot be rewritten as the latter. Doing so is original research. None of the other sources are scholarly reliable WP:RS sources. Commercial ad like casual newspaper articles are not reliable. For example, The New Indian Express source, above, is titled, "Enjoy Bhang at Begum Bazaar." Neither do they consistently and individually conclude that bhang is "official" or "standard" drink, or that it is synonymous with Holi.

Note that the lead should summarize the main. The article should reflect what many different reliable sources consistently suggest. Between the sources you cite above, there is inconsistency - one alleges "bhang is consumed by all", the other claims "many consume bhang" (many is not same as all), yet another mentions "elders" drink 'thandai'. This should make us reflect on what is the most accepted common denominator between the sources.

There is no censorship of bhang in this article. The main article has it already. A mention of bhang belongs in this article, but the claim must match what reliable sources consistently and in common say. You can't cherry pick one source nor can one extrapolate. Find WP:TERTIARY or WP:SECONDARY sources, and then you are welcome to summarize what such reliable sources say about Bhang and Holi.

From sources you have cited so far, the least common denominator is: Bhang, an intoxicating ingredient made from cannabis leaves, is mixed into drinks and sweets and consumed by many during Holi. If you would want to include this or something similar, I am fine with it. Abbey kershaw (talk) 09:12, 31 March 2014 (UTC)

I am happy that the article defines Bhang. Most wouldn't have known what was being discussed. Thank you. petrarchan47tc 07:25, 5 April 2014 (UTC)

Removal of cited sources and other changes

The edit tag by user MaverickTopGun13 alleges uncited material, etc.; yet, goes on to delete many secondary and tertiary citations that meet WP:RS guidelines. This is not constructive.

The major deletions from the lede are also inappropriate. The lede is supposed to summarize the main article, repeating the main points, see WP:LEAD.

I have reverted most of the major deletion. Let us discuss it here. Abbey kershaw (talk) 15:07, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Too much repetition and useless information

"Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People move and visit family, friends and foes, first play with colours on each other, laugh and chit-chat, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks" can be shortened and is repetitive and useless.

"Some drinks are intoxicating." Is totally unnecessary and is improper English.

"here is a symbolic legend to explain why holi is well celebrated as a colour fest. The word "Holi" originates from "Holika", the evil sister of demon king Hiranyakashipu. King Hiranyakashipu had earned a boon that made him virtually indestructible. The special powers blinded him, he grew arrogant, felt he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.[1]

Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada,[14] however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu.[11] This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika - Prahlada's evil aunt - tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her.[1] Holika was wearing a cloak (shawl) that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada.[11] Holika burned, Prahlada survived. Vishnu appeared and killed Hiranyakashipu. The bonfire is a reminder of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of ::Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, of fire that burned Holika.[12] The day after Holika bonfire is celebrated as Holi.

In Braj region of India, where Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated for 16 days (until Rangpanchmi) in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna, a Hindu deity. The festivities officially usher in spring, with Holi celebrated as festival of love.[15] There is a symbolic myth behind commemorating Krishna as well. Baby Krishna transitioned into his characteristic dark blue skin colour because a she demon Putana poisoned him with her breast milk.[16] In his youth, Krishna despairs whether fair skinned Radha and other Gopikas (girls) will like him because of his skin colour. His mother, tired of the desperation, asks him to approach Radha and colour her face in any colour he wanted. This he does, and Radha and Krishna became a couple. The playful colouring of the face of Radha has henceforth been commemorated as Holi.[17][18] Beyond India, these legends to explain the significance of Holi (Phagwah) are common in some Caribbean and South American communities of Indian origin such as Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.[19][20]"

Can all be covered in the Holika article. You do not need an indepth report, just a brief description. It's not completely necessary to understanding the holiday.

There are also many grammatical errors that don't need to be reverted. The whole article reads like it was written by an ESL speaker. It needs to be cleaned up and deleting all the edits that you don't like because you wrote the whole thing is counter productive. — Preceding unsigned comment added by MaverickTopGun13 (talk • contribs) 05:28, 5 May 2014 (UTC)

The lede, per WP:LEAD guideline, must summarize the article for both Indian and non-Indian reader who has never heard of Holi before. The lede should be sufficient and standalone summary, and include the "who, what, where, why, how, when" and other key aspects of the article. How is this repetitive - "Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders"? It describes the breadth of the festival, and that it cuts across class/age/gender/etc barriers - compare it to some festivals which are primarily brother-sister, husband-wife or gender-specific festivals or rituals around the world.

Similarly, the current Holika section is well supported, is necessary to understand why Holi is celebrated. It needs to be a balanced, complete and relevant summary of the Holika article, because Holika is integral part of Holi. If anything, it is the Holika article that needs to be expanded.

On spelling and grammar, you changed colour to color, etc. This is primarily an Indian holiday and wikipedia policies require the use of local spellings. Your constructive edits, such as those to clean up grammar are welcome. I have already accepted your suggestions there, and believe more copyediting would improve this article. Abbey kershaw (talk) 23:42, 6 May 2014 (UTC)

Poorly sourced content

@Malikhpur: - I have reverted content you added from blogs and websites that are WP:NOTRS and WP:FRINGE. For example, you relied on astrobix.com, which is an astrology/horoscopy website. You are welcome to add content if it is reliably sourced and the content is non-fringe. Abbey kershaw (talk) 20:37, 6 January 2015 (UTC)

@Abbey kershaw:Thanks Abbey kershaw I will find references but have added a section on Punjab as Holi is also celebrated there.Malikhpur

I have removed 3 out of 5 cites you added after a sentence. The pre-1947 cites didn't look relevant to the content. The Charles Dickens book, for example, does not appear to use the word Holi, or discuss it in another form; pages 175-178 just discuss Hindu-Muslim conflict in Prahladpuri in 1883 AD. Abbey kershaw (talk) 23:19, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

suggest a few cleanups, "alternate" vs "alternative"

While "alternate" is sometimes used in the sense of "alternative" in American English, it's never in British and "alternative" is acceptable in both. Also avoids the 'every-other' interpretation. "Alternative" is already used elsewhere in the article:

"madder tree, radish and pomegranate are alternate sources and shades of red." s/alternate/alternative/

"Mixing lime with turmeric powder creates an alternate source of orange powder" /s/alternate/alternative/

"Certain clays are alternate source of brown" change "Certain clays provide an alternative source of brown" Imalone (talk) 11:12, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{edit semi-protected}} template. Seems to me that you have an ENGVAR request here. Please establish a consensus to swap out one form for the other. — {{U|Technical 13}} (e • t • c) 15:50, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Not that I particularly care about the Holi page, but looking at ENGVAR it has exactly this case as its example for "Opportunites for commonality": "Use a commonly understood word or phrase in preference to one that has a different meaning because of national differences (rather than alternate, use alternative or alternating depending on which sense is intended)." Imalone (talk) 18:38, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Missing

This article is great but there need to be some benchods added. 86.185.223.7 (talk) 21:45, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Phalgun is incorrectly spelled.

Should be Phalguna. Can someone please change. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.119.177.171 (talk) 00:03, 7 March 2015 (UTC)

Multan and Prahlada

@Abbey kershaw:Thanks Abbey kershaw I have found the following reference; Is this okay to be used in the main article to reference Multan with Prahlada?Malikhpur

@Abbey kershaw:Abbey kershaw I have inserted the reference to Multan in the article.

Malikhpur 11 March 2015