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Holi

होली
HOH-lee

Hindu spring festival of colours marking the triumph of good over evil.

Appears as an answer in MG Mini #992.

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Meaning & usage

Holi is celebrated by smearing and throwing brightly coloured powders (gulal) and water, accompanied by music, dance and sweets like gujiya. It usually falls on the full moon in March and signals the arrival of spring. The eve, Holika Dahan, involves a bonfire commemorating the burning of the demoness Holika. Holi is also a social leveller — the colour disguises age, class and caste for a day.

In a sentence

By noon on Holi, every shirt in the lane was streaked with pink and green.

Common spelling variants

  • Hori

Holi is the English spelling used in MG Mini #992.

As seen in crosswords

Holi is a 4-letter answer. A typical clue:

“Hindu spring festival of colours marking the triumph of good over evil” (4)

Play the crossword that uses it — MG Mini #992

Category: Festival Origin: Sanskrit Script: Hindi

Related words

  • Diwali — Hindu festival of lights celebrated across India and the South Asian diaspora.
  • Dussehra — Hindu festival marking Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana.
  • Navratri — Nine-night Hindu festival honouring the goddess Durga in her nine forms.
  • Eid — Either of two major Muslim festivals — Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan, or Eid al-Adha at Hajj.
  • Raksha Bandhan — Hindu festival where sisters tie a protective thread (rakhi) on their brothers' wrists.
  • Pongal — Tamil four-day harvest festival, also the name of the sweet rice dish cooked for it.

Related crosswords

Puzzles with a theme close to Holi.

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