Rang Panchami 2021

Rang Panchami (the fifth day of colours) falls on Krishna Paksha Panchami, five days after the main Holi celebration (Phalguna Krishna Panchami under the amanta month reckoning used across South and West India, Chaitra Krishna Panchami under the purnimanta reckoning used across North India). While the rest of India may think Holi is over, for much of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan this is the day the real revelry begins. Coloured powders fill the air, streets run red and green and yellow, and the celebration reaches its most joyful and uninhibited peak.

The spiritual tradition behind Rang Panchami is more cosmic than it might first appear. Each colour thrown into the air is said to invoke a specific deity or divine principle: red invokes Brahma the creator, green invokes Vishnu the preserver, yellow (turmeric) invokes Shiva, blue is associated with Indra, and black (or dark violet) represents Bhumi Devi, the Earth goddess. Throwing coloured powder skyward is therefore an act of worship through colour: filling the atmosphere with the presence of the divine, and driving away negative spirits and ill-health with the combined energy of all the devas.

In Maharashtra, Rang Panchami is also called Shimga: a name used in the Konkan region for the entire Holi celebration season. The day is marked by community processions, folk music, and feasting on puran poli (sweet stuffed flatbread) and gujia. In some Rajasthani villages, Rang Panchami marks the official close of the entire marriage season: the last day of festivity before daily life resumes. In Madhya Pradesh's Malwa region, local communities celebrate with evening gatherings where Bhang (a traditional cannabis preparation) and Thandai remain central to the festivities.