Rang Panchami
Rang Panchami is a festival celebrated 5 days after Holi, that's Phalgun Krushnapaksh Panchami, so called panchami.
Holy_krishna: It is celebrated on the fifth day (Panchami) in the dark fortnight of the Hindu lunar month of Phalgun by throwing a red, fragrant powder (gulal) and splashing coloured water, etc. on others.
The fire, which shines with its brilliance on Holi, decomposes the raja-tama particles in the atmosphere and this helps activate various Deities in the form of colours. This bliss is celebrated by throwing colours in the air. Thus, Rang Panchami is a symbol of victory over raja-tama. Rang Panchami, played on Falgun Vadya Panchami involves invocation of Gods and is a part of worship of the manifest form of Gods. Its purpose is to activate the five elements of radiant manifest colours and to touch and feel the Deities who are attracted to the respective colours. These five elements are a source, which help activate the element of the Deities according to the spiritual emotion of the Jiva. Rang Panchami is the worship of the saviour form of the Deities.
Rang panchmi (“color fifth”) occurs on the fifth lunar day of the month of chet. Holi occurs on the first day of that month and is celebrated in villages (see “rural Madhya Pradesh, holi”). In small towns the main celebration occurs on panchmi. In the event documented here, a procession headed by a water tank with high pressure jet, two ceremonial cannons (firing paper), and a camel – organized by Brijesh Bohra – circumambulated the town dousing everyone on the street, and anyone visible in neighboring houses, with colored water. Bhang and alcohol intensify the heightened sensations of this exuberant communitas.
People of Maharashtra commonly know this festival of colours by the name of Rangpanchami as the play of colours is reserved for the fifth day here. Locals of Maharashtra also know Holi as Shimga(शिंगा, शिमगा) or Shimgo. The festival is particularly popular amongst fisher folk. They celebrate it in on a large scale and revel in the festivities by singing, dancing and merry-making. This special dance provide them means to release all their repressed feelings, needs and desires. People also utter sound through their mouths in a peculiar fashion by striking their mouths with the back of their hands.
Ranga Panchami, or Rangpanchami, is colorfully celebrated on the fifth day after full moon in the month of Phalguna or Falgun. In 2015, the date of Rang Panchami is March 11. People play with colors on Rang Panchami day and it is observed five days after the popular Holi festival. Rangpanchami is more popular in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and in some parts of North India. Rang means color and Panchami means the fifth day during a lunar fortnight. The festival of Rangpanchami is also associated with Holi festival but is not very popular as it is more of a traditional festival and is limited to Maharashtra. Some people confuse Rang Panchami with the Holi festival that is celebrated with colors the day after the lighting of fires on the Phalgun Purnima day. The Rangpanchami festival is more closely associated with rural Marathi culture. This festival is celebrated in Madhyapradesh also.
The 2016 date is March 28.[1]