Holika Dahan Puja
The bonfire on the eve of Holi: circling the fire with grain and thanks
Common way — most homes
Holika Dahan, Phalguna Purnima, after sunset and outside Bhadra. Muhurtha shows the window on the festival card.
About 30 minutes at the fire
On the night before Holi, a bonfire recalls how Prahlada was saved and Holika burned. Families make offerings, walk around the fire and take new grain through its warmth. Most people join a community fire; a small safe one at home is also fine. If a mantra is hard, "Om Namo Narayanaya" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›
Get ready
A few days before
- Find out where and when your neighbourhood's fire will be.
- Gather dry wood and cow-dung cakes if you are helping to build it, and never green branches from living trees.
On the day
- Keep the puja plate and water ready before sunset.
- Check the muhurat in the app, and keep children and loose clothing well back from the fire.
What you need
For Holika
- 1Water in a small pot
- 1 rollRaw cotton thread (kachcha sut)
- A fewWheat or barley ears, or a little new grain
- 1Coconut
- A little of eachKumkum, akshat, flowers and jaggery
- 1Bucket of water or sand, for safety
For the altar
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Offer at the unlit pile
Before the fire is lit, sprinkle water, then offer kumkum, akshat, flowers and jaggery at the pile. Fold your hands and remember Prahlada's trust.
Wind the thread
Walk clockwise around the pile three or seven times, winding the raw cotton thread around it as you go.
Light the fire
When the muhurat arrives, the fire is lit by an elder. Stand well back and offer the coconut into it from a safe distance.
Roast the grain
Hold the wheat or barley ears near the fire on a long stick to roast them. Share the grain as prasad; it marks the new harvest.
Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Take the ash home
The next morning, when the ash is fully cold, many put a pinch on the forehead as a blessing before the colours begin.
Fasting
No fast is required. Some eat only after the fire.
Good to do
- Keep water or sand close and watch children throughout.
- Forgive one old grudge tonight; the fire stands for burning such things.
Tradition avoids
- Do not burn plastic, tyres or rubbish.
- Do not cut living trees for the fire.
The story is about trust that fire could not burn. Let the night be for letting go, and the morning for colour.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.