Holi Etymology – Where the Word Came From Till 2020

Holi is the color of the festival for the Hindu community all over the world. When you are celebrating it, you must know why it is called Holi and what’s the etymology behind this word. So let’s learn it.

Holi Etymology:

The word Holi comes from Sanskrit. Modified by Prakrit. Finally refined to be ‘Holi’ in Hindi. Let’s learn the journey in detail below.

Sanskrit – Holika:

It is an old language of the sub-continent. A legendary demoness of Hinduism, Holika was burnt alive. She was said to have immunity over the fire. But when she tried to burn Prahald, the devotee of Vishnu, her immune power was no more. She was burnt alive while Prahald returned safely. So the festival to celebrate the victory of good over bad was named as ‘Holika’.

Prakrit – Holiya:

When Iranian, Aryan, and European came to sub-continent, Sanskrit modified a bit and became Prakrit. So the mixture of cultures named the festival as ‘Holiya’.

Hindi – Holi:

While the cultural mixes modified for centuries, the language also changed with time. Now in modern times, it is known as Hindi. So Hindi says this festival as ‘Holi’.

So it was all about the story of the word Holi. If you find our research useful, don’t forget to write us back in the comments section below.