SSC
According to the Hindu calendar, Holi is celebrated on:
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Answer: Option B — Phalguna Purnima
Detailed Solution
Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) of the month of Phalguna, which usually falls in March. It marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring, and it is one of the most joyful festivals of India.
Holi is celebrated over two days. On the night of Phalguna Purnima, people light bonfires in a ritual called Holika Dahan. This recalls the legend of Prahlad, a young devotee of Lord Vishnu, and his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, who wanted everyone to worship him. When Prahlad refused, Hiranyakashipu tried many times to kill him. Finally, his sister Holika, who was believed to be protected from fire, sat in a fire with Prahlad on her lap. However, Holika was burnt to ashes, while Prahlad was saved by Vishnu. The bonfire celebrates the victory of good over evil. Vishnu later took the form of Narasimha to kill Hiranyakashipu.
On the next day, called Dhulandi or Rangwali Holi, people play with coloured powder (gulal) and coloured water, sing and dance, and visit friends and relatives. Special sweets such as gujiya and drinks such as thandai are prepared. Holi is also linked with the love of Radha and Krishna, and it is celebrated with special joy in the Braj region (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana and Nandgaon), where the Lathmar Holi is famous.
Holi has many regional forms: Dol Jatra or Basanta Utsav in West Bengal, Dola Purnima in Odisha, Doul Utsav in Assam, Shigmo in Goa, Yaoshang in Manipur and Hola Mohalla, a Sikh festival held the day after Holi.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kartika Amavasya is the day of Diwali.
- ✗Shravana Purnima is the day of Raksha Bandhan.
- ✗Chaitra Navami is the day of Ram Navami.
Quick tip
Remember: Holi = Phalguna Purnima, Holika Dahan and Prahlad. Remember the regional names: Dol Jatra, Dola Purnima, Shigmo, Yaoshang and Hola Mohalla.
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Festivals & Fairs of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Festivals & Fairs of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the religious, harvest, tribal and cultural festivals of India, the fairs (melas) held across the country, and the states, communities and seasons linked to them. It also includes festivals listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as Kumbh Mela and Durga Puja in Kolkata. Most questions ask which state celebrates a festival, which tribe it belongs to, or what event it marks. Harvest festivals are especially common: Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Onam (Kerala), Bihu (Assam), Lohri and Baisakhi (Punjab) and Nuakhai (Odisha). Fairs such as the Pushkar camel fair (Rajasthan) and the Sonepur cattle fair (Bihar) are also frequently tested. Revise festivals state by state. Practise the festivals and fairs questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.