Holi—also known as the Festival of Colors—is a Hindu festival that celebrates love, spring, and the triumph of good over evil. To help your students welcome spring and learn more about this cultural event, check out these resources that make it easier to add Holi activities to your ELA and social studies lessons:

• Explore reading, writing, and research Holi activities in ELA
• Discover Holi history and traditions in social studies

[Explore reading, writing, and research Holi activities in ELA](id-ELA)

Dive into the traditions of the holiday with these ELA lessons:

Use Holi texts to find the central idea

Use informational texts to teach students about the Hindu festival of colors, symbolism, and spring:

• Read an article to discover the meaning and significance of the many colors used during Holi festivals in India.
• Practice the reading skills of developing and identifying the central idea in an article or piece of literature by completing the central idea notetaker worksheet.
• Have students compare notetakers with each other to see if they included the same important information and discuss how they can combine the differences to most accurately reflect the article’s central idea.

Uncover the symbolism of holiday colors

Have your students ever wondered why we associate holidays with different colors? Holi’s alternate name, the Festival of Colors, puts this concept at the center of its celebrations. Dive into the symbolism of holiday colors using resources like:

• A video explaining the concept of symbolism.
• An article that explores the colors associated with traditional holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Holi.
• A lesson extension activity that asks students to write an analysis of meaningful colors in their own lives, like the school colors. Try it with Newsela Writing!

[Discover Holi history and traditions in social studies](id-ss)

Especially for students who’ve never celebrated Holi, it’s helpful to learn background information about the holiday, its traditions, and its cultural significance to appreciate the holiday. Give students insight into these areas:

Explore traditional Holi celebrations

Holi commemorates the victory of Vishnu over Hiranyakashipu through colors, parades, and other traditional celebrations. Teach students about how people recognize the holiday across the globe:

• Read about the history and legends of the demon king, Hiranyakashipu, and how the celebrations over the Holi festival's two days honor his defeat.
• Discover the significance of the annual painted Elephant Parade in India and how it celebrates the triumph of good over evil.
• Learn why people wear, decorate with, and celebrate with different colors during the holiday and the significance of each one in the context of Hindu traditions.

Teach students about Hinduism

Because it’s a religious holiday, students could benefit from additional context on the Hindu religion to better understand the traditions associated with Holi celebrations. 

• Explore the historical foundations and enduring principles of Hinduism.
  Read about the god Vishnu, a member of the holy trinity—or trimurti—of Hinduism.
• Learn about Vedas, the sacred writings of Hinduism, and how old the oldest Vedas might be.

Cover all the major spring holidays in your classroom

Holi is one of many religious and cultural holidays celebrated during the Spring. With Newsela’s suite of subject products, you can access various content and resources—like news articles, primary sources, literature selections, and interactive videos—to help you teach about all of them!

Not a Newsela customer yet? Sign up for Newsela Lite for free and start your 45-day trial. You’ll get access to our premium content and activities for everything you need to teach about every holiday this spring.