Holi is the Festival of Colours which marks the coming of Spring. It is celebrated over several days in the Hindu month of Phalunga, which falls in February/March of the Gregorian calendar. It is also a celebration of new life and the seasons. Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun than religious observance.

Holi is the most vibrant Indian festival, when distinctions of caste, class, age or gender are set to one side. Hindus have fun by smearing each other with paint and throwing coloured water at each other, all done in a spirit of celebration. White clothes are worn, which makes the paint more obvious. Bonfires are lit and parents make sure they carry their babies to protect them from any demons.

Some believe the origin of the festival lies with Krishna who was very mischievous as a young boy and threw coloured water over the gopis (milkmaids) with whom he is believed to have grown up. This developed into the practical jokes and games of Holi.

The legend of Prahlad and Holika is also connected with Holi. Prahlad was the son of King Hiranyakashyapu. The king wanted everyone in his kingdom to worship him. However his son, Prahlad refused to and worshipped Lord Vishnu instead.

The king's sister Holika, who was supposed to be immune to fire, tricked her nephew Prahlad into sitting on her lap in a bonfire in order to destroy him. However, because she was using her powers for evil, the plan failed and Prahlad emerged from the fire unharmed, while his aunt was devoured by the flames.

This event is seen to symbolise good overcoming evil and is why traditionally bonfires are lit at Holi. In some parts of India effigies of Holika are burnt on the fire. Ashes from Holi bonfires are thought to bring good luck.

Why is Krishna depicted as having blue skin?
It is thought that a demon attempted to kill baby Krishna by giving him poisoned milk. This made the baby turn blue but he did not die and the demon shrivelled up into ashes.

What dyes are used to colour the water?
Originally, Gulal (coloured powder) for Holi were made from the flowers of the Tesu tree. Today the powder is made from other natural substances. It is sold on stalls on street corners for several days before the festival. Abeer (small crystals of mica) is also bought and can be added to the powder to give it a sparkly look. In recent years there has been a return to natural dyes such as mehndi and haldi, because of fears that gulal was being replaced by industrial colours and abeer by oxidised metals with terrible consequences on people's health.

RE at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 2)
Unit 2C: Celebrations (Generic) - Section 2: What is a religious festival?
Explain the meaning of Holi and the legends which lie behind it. Students could make cardboard cut-outs to retell the story of Prahlad and Holika. The Prahlad and Holika worksheet may help with this activity.

RE at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 4)
Unit 4A: How and why do Hindus worship at home and in the mandir? Section 2: One God who takes many forms
Watch a video extract which looks at the Hindu idea of God in many forms. If possible, show and discuss some shrine figures.

Explain that many families choose a particular deity or form of the one supreme God to worship, including Krishna, Lakshmi and Ganesha, the elephant-headed god. Ask students to choose a shrine figure, investigate what they are holding or wearing, and explain why. As a class, share findings and collate results. The Hindu Gods and Goddesses sheet may help with this activity.

Ask the children to draw a picture of themselves which shows their many different roles and interests, for example wearing different hats or clothes, or holding different objects, showing the many sides and characteristics that one person can have.

Whilst exploring Hindu religion it may also be interesting to explore the Hindi language and its script, Devanagari. The Hindi language worksheet is designed to support this activity.

RE at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 6)
Unit 6F: How do people express their faith through the arts? Section 3: How can colour express religious feelings and ideas?
Look at how colour is used by different faiths to express religious feelings and ideas: for example in stained glass windows or Buddhist mandalas. Look at examples of Indian artefacts. Mix powder paints with students and paint pictures of bonfires or of people with painted faces.

Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/
Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

BBC Religion and Ethics: Hinduism
Find out about the core beliefs of Hinduism and the festival of Holi.

BBC Birmingham
An introduction to Hinduism.

BBC Leicester
A picture gallery of a family celebrating Holi.

Radio 1's One Life Guide to Hinduism
History, holidays, festivals and real life interviews about life and faith.

Open-Sez-Me - Holi
An account for children of Holi and of the story of Prahlad and Holika, together with instructions for tie-dyeing and making colourful firework pictures.

the RE site
A comprehensive collection of RE news, links and resources for students of all ages. Includes an interactive festivals calendar, links to virtual tours of places of worship and AV/IT resources catalogue.

The Culham Institute
RE curriculum and training resources with a strong emphasis on the use of multimedia and ICT. The site contains a wide range of assemblies for primary and secondary groups focusing on people, festivals and other important themes and days.

the RE directory
A directory of RE contacts, including LEAs, faith communities and suppliers of resources.

SPCK - The Assemblies Website
Constantly updated, this site provides instant-access assemblies for primary and secondary schools on a wide range of secular and religious topics, including festivals of world religions.

The Parrotfish Company
A catalogue of multicultural educational resources and religious artefacts from around the world.

Turning the Pages
The British Library's award-winning online collection of ancient texts. Students can 'turn the pages' of a range of texts from different cultures, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra, Sultan Baybars' Qur'an and the Hebrew Golden Haggadah.

Words Alive! - Special Books
An interactive guide to the six world religions from the British Library with video, images and information. Explore each 'display case' to discover more about each religion.

Britkid
A site about race, racism and life - as seen through the eyes of the Britkids. You can hang out with a Britkid or go into town to learn about religion, food, culture and the triumphs, trials and tribulations of life as a teenager in multicultural Britain.

Portsmouth EMAS
The Portsmouth Ethnic Minority Achievement Service offer a range of excellent multicultural online resources, including religious festival activities, literacy resources and interactive number lines in a wide range of languages.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.