Rang Panchami in Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra: An Unending Holi Celebration for 5 Additional Days!

A festive poster celebrating Rang Panchami, highlighting the extended five-day Holi in Madhya Pradesh. The image features a joyful crowd throwing vibrant colors while dressed in traditional attire. The text asks, "Why Holi is Celebrated for Extra 5 Days?" emphasizing the cultural significance of the festival.

On the evening of March 14, 2025, Holi is over! Really? Think again.

Holi might be over in most of the regions in India and people have washed off the colors of Gulal from their faces and hands, but wait. It is not over in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Rang Panchami, or Holi, as it is called in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, lasts for 5 days! That is why it is called “Panchami,” meaning “Five.”

Actually, when the colors from the streets and faces of people fade in other regions of India after Holi, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are not done yet. The people here have just got warmed up!

A lively Holi celebration captured from a backside view, where a large crowd joyfully throws vibrant pink, yellow, and green powders into the air. People covered in bright colors dance and cheer under a clear blue sky, with a historic building adding to the festive atmosphere.

But why is it so, have you ever wondered? Well, that is the magic of India, a land of diverse cultures, traditions and unity.

You are invited to discover the exciting story behind Rang Panchami and learn why this fun festival is celebrated for five full days with joy and enthusiasm.

The Festival Reborn

In Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, Holi Rang Panchami simply refuses to end. It is like the Holi festival is reborn after the two actual days of its celebration.

Typically, almost in all parts of India, the Holi festival is celebrated for two days.

  • Day 1: Holika Dahan
  • Day 2: Color Holi

However, it is not so in these states. It refuses to end here, as well as in a few other regions in Rajasthan. People, in fact, wait anxiously for Holi Rang Panchami to celebrate the festival of colors in grand style for one last time in the year.

A vibrant Rang Panchami celebration during Holi in Madhya Pradesh, where people joyfully throw colorful powders in the air. A wooden table filled with bright blue, yellow, and purple gulal is in the foreground, while a festive crowd dances and celebrates in a lush green garden under golden sunlight.

For five days, the air fills with joy, laughter, music and colors every day, with breaks in the evening to regain new energy and start afresh all over again the next day. This cycle goes on for five days.

The Reasons Behind Rang Panchami

Among people in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, stories and beliefs regarding Rang Panchami are varied and many. However, two of the most common and exciting folklore of Rang Panchami include a royal connection and a religious connection.

The Religious Connection

In most regions, the Holi festival is connected to religion or God, and Rang Panchami is no exception. However, people in Madhya Pradesh further believe that Rang Panchami is a festival for Gods and humans!

Accordingly, there is a notable difference in the way of celebrating the Holi festival in other parts of India and in these states as Holi Rang Panchami. While people in most of the regions in India play Holi with their family or friends, people in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra believe that on Holi Rang Panchami their colors and joy reach heaven and impress the Gods. They also believe that on Rang Panchami all positive and invisible forces, energies, and deities in heaven play Holi as well.

This is the reason why people continue their Holi celebrations on earth as well in an effort to spread joy and warmth not only among human beings but also connect with the Gods and spread happiness in heaven and the divine world on Rang Panchami.

The Royal Link

A long time back, when Madhya Pradesh, along with Maharashtra, was ruled by the kings, the Holi festival was formally celebrated as a tradition by the kings, queens, and royal family inside the palaces. The soldiers also took part in it.

The common people did not have the opportunity to play while they celebrated the Holi festival and had to wait until they were done playing. Common people danced in the streets and threw colors days after Rang Panchami. To them, the Holi festival was more like a royalty than a traditional celebration!

Actually, in the cities like Ujjain and Indore, people take out grand processions including horses, elephants, and decorated carts to celebrate Holi Rang Panchami spraying watercolors on the crowd in the streets with pichkaris. Even the government arranged for water cannons to spray colored water on people during Holi Rang Panchami. The streets become rainbows with colors and happiness everywhere with song, drum beats, and dance. Both visitors and locals join in that makes the atmosphere full of excitement and laughter.

Want to be a part of such a week-long Holi celebration? Visit Madhya Pradesh on Rang Panchami 2025.

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