Holi is also known in some states as Doljatra, or Dola Purnima. In Nepal, it is known as Fagu Purnima. 

It is also a public holiday called Phagwah in the South American countries of Guyana and Suriname. 

The day before Holi is known as Holi Dahan and can be a holiday in some states. 

Holi was originally a festival to celebrate the start of Spring, good harvests and fertility of the land. The first mentions of it date back to a poem from the 4th century. 

Holi was described in a 7th century Sanskrit play called “Ratnavali,” written by the Indian emperor Harsha. 

“Witness the beauty of the great cupid festival which excites curiosity as the townsfolk are dancing at the touch of brownish water thrown … Everything is coloured yellowish red and rendered dusty by the heaps of scented powder blown all over,” wrote Harsha. 

Today it is better known as a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. 

The story is that there was once a king who resented his son, Prince Prahlada, worshipping Lord Vishnu. He tries to murder the prince on several occasions but fails each time. 

Finally, the king’s sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning sits with the boy inside a fire. However, the prince emerges unhurt, while his aunt burns in the fire and dies. 

Holi Dahan remembers this event, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as a symbolic representation of Holika’s cremation. 

The festival is also associated with the eternal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura – the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation.