Holika Dahan 2024: Puja Vidhi, Muhurat, and Significance Of Chotti Holi

Popularly known as Chotti Holi, Holika Dahan is a festival where Hindus light a bonfire to celebrate the burning of demoness, Holika. Symbolic of victory of good over evil, this festival also celebrates the eternal love of Radha-Krishna.

It is believed that performing Holika Dahan puja brings power, prosperity, and wealth.

Significance of Holika Dahan

According to a legend, the demon king Hiranyakashipu was blessed with the boon that he could not be killed by anyone. Because of this, he became cruel and forced people to worship him as a God.

However, Hiranyakashipu’s son Prahlad, who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, did not agree with his father and refused to follow his commands. This enraged Hiranyakashipu who then ordered his sister Holika to kill Prahlad. Holika who was blessed with the boon of a flame-shieling cloth from Lord Brahma, sat on the fire with Prahlad intending to kill him. When Prahlad prayed to Lord Vishnu to protect him, a wind came and moved the protective cloth from Holika to Prahlad. So, Holika got burned instead of Prahlad.

Holika Dahan Puja Vidhi and Samagri

A few days before Holi, seven small balls from cow dung. Five of these balls have holes in them, so they can be threaded onto a string like beads, and two balls are made without holes.

People also make suns, moons, stars, and other toys using cow dung. They also make things like paan, pata, chakla, a tongue, and hola-holi. These items are decorated by adding dots using flour, turmeric, henna, gulal, and so on. Cowrie shells are used to make Holika’s eyes. They also make shields and swords.
People use bamboo sticks to make garlands. They thread things like Holika, flowers, swords, shields, etc., onto these garlands. They make one garland for their ancestors, one for Hanuman ji, one for Shitala Mata, and one for their house. You can also buy ready-made garlands from the market.

While worshipping on the occasion of Holika Dahan, one should face the east or the north direction.
First of all, sprinkle drops of water on the surroundings, the puja plate/item, and yourself. Wrap the raw yarn around Holika three or seven times.

Then, to honour Lord Narasimha and his devotee Prahlad, people offer garlands, coloured powders, rice, pleasant smells, flowers, jaggery, whole green gram, whole turmeric, henna, gulal, coconuts, and more.

If you have new wheat and gram ears from the harvest, keep them too. Then, put a cow dung shield and other toys near Holika. Offer rice, green gram, and batasha as well.
Post this, the Holika Dahan takes place. During Holika, people make offerings of raw mango, coconut, corn, or Saptadhaya, toys made of sugar, some parts of the new crop like wheat, urad, moong, gram, barley, rice, and lentils, and other similar items.

Finally, take roasted wheat and gram as Prasad. Eating roasted grains during Holika is believed to keep one healthy. Bringing home the remaining fire and ashes of Holi helps protect the house from evil powers.
A shield made of cow dung and four garlands are brought home separately and kept safe (one of these garlands is in the name of ancestors, the second is in the name of Hanuman ji, the third is in the name of Shitala Mata, and the fourth is in the name of one’s family).
Holika Dahan Puja Muhurat

Bhadra Punch is from 6:33 pm to 7:53 pm. Bhadra Mukh is from 7:53 pm to 10:06 pm. Purnima Tithi begins at 9:54 am on March 24. Purnima Tithi ends at 12:29 pm on March 25.