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Holi Date Calculator | Holika Dahan & Rangwali Holi

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The Holi Date Calculator returns the two festival days for any year: Holika Dahan on Phalguna Purnima's eve (evening bonfires) and Rangwali Holi the following day, computed from panchang tables with weekday labels.

Last updated: September 2026 · Free · No sign-up required

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Results

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Quick reference

Upcoming Holi dates: 2026 — 4 Mar; 2027 — 23 Mar; 2028 — 11 Mar; 2029 — 28 Feb; 2030 — 19 Mar.

public Location matters

Tithi and nakshatra boundaries depend on where you are — enter your city's coordinates for precise results.

schedule Ayanamsa

Calculations use the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, the standard for Vedic charts.

menu_book Panchang basis

Results follow drik-panchang style astronomical computation, not printed-table approximation.

school Traditions differ

Some regions use Surya Siddhanta conventions; where traditions conflict, your family panchang wins.

lightbulb A real example — booking leave for Holi 2026

An office worker in Lucknow needs to know exactly which weekdays Holi falls on in 2026 to plan leave around it.

Result: Holika Dahan: Tuesday 3 March 2026 (bonfires after sunset). Rangwali Holi: Wednesday 4 March 2026 (colours through the day). The pair is anchored to Phalguna Purnima — the full-moon tithi of the lunar month Phalguna.

What this means: Because the lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Holi arrives roughly 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. In Braj (Mathura–Vrindavan) celebrations stretch across several days with their own local calendar, so travellers there should check local schedules rather than relying on the single national date.

Formula & methodology

Formula: Tithi = ⌊(Moon−Sun elongation) ÷ 12°⌋; Nakshatra = ⌊Moon longitude ÷ 13°20'⌋; Vimshottari lord sequence Ketu→Venus→Sun→Moon→Mars→Rahu→Jupiter→Saturn→Mercury

How the two Holi dates are found

Holi is fixed to Phalguna Purnima — the full-moon tithi (Moon–Sun elongation 168°–180°) of the lunar month Phalguna. The calculator scans the year's panchang data for that Purnima: the evening on which Purnima prevails after sunset (the Pradosh period) becomes Holika Dahan, and the following civil date — carrying Purnima at sunrise in most years — becomes Rangwali Holi.

When Purnima is unusually short (kshaya) or spans boundaries, the pairing can shift; the calculator follows the tabulated panchang rather than a fixed Gregorian offset, which is why the dates land roughly 11 days earlier each year instead of sitting on one calendar date.

Regional practice varies: while Rangwali Holi is the same civil date across India in the standard panchang, Braj-region towns observe extended multi-day festivities (Lathmar Holi in Barsana, Phoolon wali Holi in Vrindavan) on their own local reckoning.

Frequently asked questions

When is Holi in 2026?
Holika Dahan on 3 March 2026 (evening bonfires) and Rangwali Holi on 4 March 2026.
Why does Holi's date move?
It is fixed to Phalguna Purnima — the full moon of the lunar month Phalguna — which drifts about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
What is Holika Dahan?
The bonfire eve celebrating Prahlad's protection and Holika's defeat — effigies burn after sunset during the Purnima's Pradosh period.
Do North and South India celebrate on the same day?
Rangwali Holi is the same day nationwide; Southern states mark the full moon as Kamudhi with distinct rituals.

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