होली (holii)
noun
होली (holii) is primarily the name of the spring festival of colors; it also appears in a couple of fixed idiomatic turns of phrase built on the festival image.
Sense
1
:
the Hindu spring festival of colors
noun, feminine
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: होली (holii) falls in the Hindu month of Phalgun (roughly March) and marks the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil, commemorated the night before with होलिका दहन (holikaa dahan, 'the burning of Holika') bonfires. In Delhi-NCR you will hear people greet each other with होली मुबारक (holii mubaarak, 'Happy Holi') or बुरा न मानो होली है (buraa n maano holii hai, "don't take offense, it's Holi") as a cheerful excuse for the day's mischief.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often say होली मनाना (holii manaanaa, 'to celebrate Holi') but reach for the English-influenced 'do Holi' pattern instead -- मनाना (manaanaa) is the verb that pairs with festival names in Hindi, not करना (karnaa). 2) होली खेलना (holii khelnaa, 'to play Holi') is the everyday way to describe throwing colors and water on people -- खेलना (khelnaa) here does not mean a game in the English sense, it is the fixed idiom for participating in the color-throwing itself.
Sample Sentences:
होली रंगों का त्योहार है।
Holi is the festival of colors.
(holii rangon kaa tyohaar hai।)
होली मुबारक हो!
Happy Holi!
(holii mubaarak ho!)
बुरा न मानो, होली है!
Don't take offense, it's Holi!
(buraa n maano, holii hai!)
पिछले साल हम सबने मिलकर होली खेली थी।
Last year all of us played Holi together.
(pichhle saal ham sabne milkar holii khelii thii।)
होली से एक रात पहले होलिका दहन किया जाता है।
The night before Holi, the burning of Holika is performed.
(holii se ek raat pahle holikaa dahan kiyaa jaataa hai।)
इस बार होली फागुन के महीने में मार्च में पड़ रही है।
This time Holi is falling in March, in the month of Phalgun.
(is baar holii phaagun ke mahiine men maarch men pad rahii hai।)
काश इस साल छुट्टी की वजह से हम गाँव जाकर होली मना पाते।
If only we could go to the village and celebrate Holi this year because of the holiday.
(kaash is saal chhuttii kii vajah se ham gaanv jaakar holii manaa paate।)
अगर बारिश न होती तो हम खुले मैदान में होली खेलते।
If it hadn't rained, we would have played Holi in the open field.
(agar baarish n hotii to ham khule maidaan men holii khelte।)
क्या तुम इस बार होली पर घर आओगे?
Will you come home for Holi this time?
(kyaa tum is baar holii par ghar aaoge?)
होली के दिन बच्चे गली-गली रंग और पानी से भरे गुब्बारे लेकर घूमते हैं।
On the day of Holi, children wander lane to lane carrying balloons filled with color and water.
(holii ke din bachche galii-galii rang aur paanii se bhare gubbaare lekar ghoomte hain।)
होली के पावन पर्व पर समस्त देशवासियों को हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ।
On the sacred occasion of Holi, heartfelt greetings to all citizens of the country.
(holii ke paavan parv par samast deshvaasiyon ko haardik shubhkaamnaaen।)
Sense
2
:
used figuratively for a riotous, colorful, or chaotic scene
noun, feminine Occurs mainly in the set phrase खून की होली (khoon kii holii, 'a Holi of blood', i.e. a bloodbath/massacre), extending the image of colors flying everywhere to violence or chaos.
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: You will meet this mostly in news commentary or dramatic writing, where खून की होली खेलना (khoon kii holii khelnaa, 'to play a Holi of blood') describes a massacre or violent riot -- the festival's image of color splashed everywhere is turned dark. It is a literary flourish rather than something you would casually say at the dinner table.
Sample Sentences:
दंगाइयों ने पूरे शहर में खून की होली खेल दी।
The rioters turned the whole city into a bloodbath.
(dangaaiyon ne poore shahar men khoon kii holii khel dii।)
सीमा पर दोनों सेनाओं के बीच खून की होली खेली गई।
A bloody massacre was played out between the two armies at the border.
(siimaa par donon senaaon ke biich khoon kii holii khelii gaii।)
अगर यह हिंसा न रुकी, तो पूरा इलाका खून की होली में डूब जाएगा।
If this violence doesn't stop, the whole area will be drowned in a bloody frenzy.
(agar yah hinsaa n rukii, to pooraa ilaakaa khoon kii holii men doob jaaegaa।)
संसद में आज जो हंगामा हुआ, वह किसी होली से कम नहीं था।
The uproar in parliament today was nothing less than a riotous free-for-all.
(sansad men aaj jo hangaamaa huaa, vah kisii holii se kam nahiin thaa।)
बाज़ार में लगी आग ने रंगों की जगह लपटों की होली रच दी।
The fire in the market created a chaotic riot of flames instead of colors.
(baazaar men lagii aag ne rangon kii jagah lapton kii holii rach dii।)
काश वह तानाशाह सत्ता में न आता, वरना यहाँ भी खून की होली खेली जाती।
If only that dictator hadn't come to power, otherwise a bloody massacre would have been played out here too.
(kaash vah taanaashaah sattaa men n aataa, varnaa yahaan bhii khoon kii holii khelii jaatii।)
कवि ने युद्ध के मैदान को खून की होली के रूप में चित्रित किया।
The poet depicted the battlefield as a Holi of blood.
(kavi ne yuddh ke maidaan ko khoon kii holii ke roop men chitrit kiyaa।)
शेयर बाज़ार में आज जो उथल-पुथल मची, उसे देखकर लगा जैसे कोई होली खेली जा रही हो।
The turmoil that broke out in the stock market today looked as if some frenzied chaos were unfolding.
(sheyar baazaar men aaj jo uthal-puthal machii, use dekhkar lagaa jaise koii holii khelii jaa rahii ho।)
इतिहासकार लिखते हैं कि उस विद्रोह में शहर की गलियों में खून की होली खेली गई थी।
Historians write that during that rebellion, a bloody massacre was played out in the city's lanes.
(itihaaskaar likhte hain ki us vidroh men shahar kii galiyon men khoon kii holii khelii gaii thii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
होली
(holii)
(sg.f.oblique):
होली
(holii)
(pl.f.direct):
होलियाँ
(holiyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
होलियों
(holiyon)