Hola Mohalla is the Sikh festival featuring processions and martial arts demonstrations on the day after Holi.
Guru Gobind Singh established Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib in the early eighteenth century as a gathering for military exercises, displays of horsemanship, and devotional activity. The event developed into a distinctive Sikh observance rather than simply a religious version of Holi.
Today, celebrations commonly include mock battles, gatka demonstrations, horse riding, processions, music, poetry, and communal meals. Anandpur Sahib remains the festival’s best-known center, although Sikh communities elsewhere also observe it.
Hola Mohalla is sometimes called simply Hola. It should not be confused with Vaisakhi, which is associated with the founding of the Khalsa in 1699, or Bandi Chhor Divas, which commemorates Guru Hargobind’s release from captivity.