Holika Dahan

The festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Falgun, which falls at the end of winter season and welcome of spring and commemorates with the Mid-February to Mid- March.

It is celebrated as the festival of the divine love of Krishna and Radha. Holi is also related with the story of Prahlad, Holika, and Hrinyakashyapa.

The date of Holi is decided according to the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated on the date which commemorates with the Falgun Purnima day of the Hindu calendar. The celebration begins from the eve of Holi with the ritual of Holika Dahan. Holika Dahan, or burning of demon Holika, is the vital ritual during Holi festival. On a night before Holi, people collect wooden logs and waste materials like broken furniture, clothes, etc from their home and gather it together to burn Holika. This bonfire epitomizes the victory of good over evil. It is also even termed as the cleansing ceremony before the actual Holi festival.

 STORY :

There was a king named Hiranyakashipu whose desire was to be seen as a great man. To fulfill his desire he did the required Tapas (penance) and was granted a boon by Brahma.

Once Brahma was pleased by devotion of Hiranyakashyapu, he granted the king wishes that the king will not be killed by human being or an animal, he will not die either in his home or outside the home, he will not die in the day or at night, he will not die either by astra or shastra, and that he will not die either on land or in the sea or in the air. As this wish was granted, it was completely impossible to kill Hiranyakashyapu by any means and this made him invincible. Hiranyakashyapu ordered people in his kingdom to worship him as a God. Everyone obeyed with the exception of his son Prahlad. Prahlad refused to see his father as a god and stayed devoted to Vishnu.

This made Hiranyakashipu very angry and he made various attempts to kill Prahlad. During a particular attempt on Prahlad's life, King Hiranyakashyapu called upon his sister Holika for help. Holika had a special gift that prevented her from being harmed by fire. Hiranyakashyapu asked her to sit on a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap in the hope that this would kill Prahlad. However, both the brother and sister had forgot that Holika could only enter the fire alone or she would perish. As Prahlad chanted Vishnu's name, Holika was burnt to her death and Prahlad was spared.

2017 Date : 12th March,Monday.