The evening bonfire that burns away evil on the eve of Holi.
Monday, 22 March 2027·Phalguna Shukla Purnima, at Pradosh (evening, after Bhadra ends)·Mumbai, Maharashtra
Lighting and worship of the Holika bonfire.
Evening gathering and preparation before the bonfire.
Preparations and community gathering for the Dahan.
Holika Dahan is the bonfire lit on the eve of Holi, enacting the triumph of devotion over evil. It is performed in the Pradosh period of the Phalguna Purnima - but only after Bhadra Kala has passed. Lighting the pyre in the correct window is central to the observance.
The fire consumes negativity, ego and evil; circumambulating the flames and offering grains is a prayer for protection and the burning away of ills before the joy of Holi.
To honour Prahlada's unshakeable devotion, to burn away evil and negativity, and to usher in the festival of colours.
The demon-king Hiranyakashipu, enraged that his son Prahlada worshipped Vishnu rather than himself, plotted the boy's death. His sister Holika held a boon that made her immune to fire, so she sat within a blazing pyre with Prahlada in her lap to destroy him. But the flames turned: Holika was consumed while the Vishnu-devoted Prahlada emerged unharmed. The bonfire re-enacts this deliverance, celebrating the victory of faith over cruelty - and Vishnu himself later tore Hiranyakashipu apart in his Narasimha form.
Bhadra (Vishti Karana) is an inauspicious period; lighting Holika during it is considered harmful, so the Dahan waits until Bhadra ends.
In the Pradosh period on Phalguna Purnima, after Bhadra Kala has passed - shown above for your location.
Grains from the new harvest, coconut, and sometimes sweets, along with circumambulation and prayers for protection.