5 places in India where Holi is not celebrated: Know their stories

Holi, the festival of colours, is often described as India at its most exuberant, streets in pink and yellow, drums beating into the afternoon, strangers turned friends in clouds of gulal. From Mathura to Mumbai, it is chaos, joy and ritual rolled into one. And yet, in a country of layered histories and deeply localised traditions, there are pockets where Holi passes quietly. No colours. No water balloons. No bonfires the night before. In these places, the absence of celebration is not accidental, it is rooted in legend, memory, faith, or cultural identity.
Here are some of the most intriguing places in India where Holi is traditionally not celebrated, and why.

In Durgapur Village, Bokaro district in Jharkhand, Holi does not feature in the community’s yearly celebrations. According to local accounts, the custom dates back more than a century to a tragic incident. Stories suggest that a king’s son died on the day of Holi, followed soon after by the death of the king himself. Stricken by grief, the ruler is believed to have prohibited Holi festivities in the village. With time, the order gradually evolved into a long-standing tradition. Some villagers also hold the belief that their presiding deity does not favour the festival and that celebrating it could bring misfortune, illness, or other hardships. As a result, the village has reportedly refrained from celebrating Holi for over 350 years.

In Ramsan village of Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, Holi has reportedly not been celebrated for more than 300 years. According to local lore, a group of saints was once insulted by a ruler of the region. Offended, they are believed to have cursed the village, declaring that Holi festivities would bring misfortune. Whether one believes the legend literally or sees it as symbolic folklore, the outcome remains the same: Ramsan observes the day without colour play or revelry. Residents avoid the traditional bonfire and refrain from throwing gulal.

In the heritage areas of Puducherry, the festival of Holi has traditionally not been prominent. While the old French Quarter reflects colonial-era urban culture, the Tamil Quarter reflects the Dravidian festival calendar, where Pongal, Deepavali, and temple-centric festivals are emphasized. Holi celebrations in Puducherry today are largely organised by North Indian communities, students, or tourism groups. Walk through the pastel lanes of the French Quarter during Holi, and you may find quiet cafés operating as usual.

The communities surrounding Pulicat Lake, India’s second-largest brackish water lagoon, straddling Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, do not traditionally observe Holi with colour play. Here, the festival calendar is dominated by temple festivals and rituals like Masi Magam, which falls during the same time as the festival of Holi. During Masi Magam, devotees take holy dips.

High in the hills of Rudraprayag district, villages like Kwili and Kurjhan follow a different rhythm. Here, the festival of Holi has traditionally not been observed with colors and revelry because of an age-old tradition based on the local deity, Tripura Bala Tripur Sundari. Villagers believe that the goddess does not favour noisy festivities. As a result, colour play is avoided out of respect. In many Himalayan communities, the relationship between people and their presiding deity shapes social customs profoundly, and Holi is no exception.