When is Holika Dahan 2026? Know date, muhurat and significance

Holika Dahan is going to be celebrated on March 3, 2026. Holika Dahan will be observed on Purnima Tithi in the month of Phalguna. Prahalad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, is honored on this auspicious festival. People celebrate the victory of good over evil. During an auspicious time in the evening, Holika Dahan is celebrated around bonfires.

Holika Dahan 2026: Date and Time

Holika Dahan 2026: Significance

In Hinduism, the festival of Holi holds an immense religious significance. The Holi festival begins from Holika Dahan. In India, it is customary to build pyres on this day, and people perform puja around that burning pyre. The tale of Holika and her nephew Prahlad is recited during that puja. A powerful monarch who inherited his powers from a god, Prahlad's father, Hiranyakashyapu, received a boon from Lord Brahma that prevented him from being killed by any animal, human, or demon, neither on earth nor in the sky.

Since Hiranyakashyapu was a demon king who claimed to be a god and desired to be revered as such, he intended to kill his son Prahalad, who was a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu. He made numerous attempts to kill his son, but was always saved by the grace of Lord Vishnu. As Holika received a blessing from the Lord that she would not perish in a fire, Hiranyakashyapu invited his sister to sit in the bonfire with Prahlad in her lap.

She sat in the campfire with Prahlad on the day of Holika Dahan. Lord Vishnu intervened to save Prahlad, and Holika was burned in the flames. He was given the name Bhakt Prahlad because Lord Vishnu was pleased by the Prahlad's dedication.

Holika Dahan 2026: Puja Rituals

First, people select an open free area or a bonfire. In many towns and regions, local bonfires are a popular place for people to congregate. For the bonfire, people gather wood, dried neem leaves, and other necessary items. In order to offer prayers to Lord Bhairav, female devotees come before sunset and offer haldi, roli, tie a white holy thread around it, burn a diya with mustard oil and offer sweets along with that. After sunset, people light the bonfire and add elaichi, laung, jaggery, coconut, and camphor to that bonfire. People recite powerful mantras and seek blessings of Lord Vishnu and Bhakt Prahalad.