New Delhi
Holika Dahan – Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Holika Dahan 2026 – date and timings by city
About Holika Dahan
Holika Dahan is the bonfire lit on the evening of Phalguna Purnima, the night before Holi. It remembers how Prahlad was saved by Lord Vishnu while Holika burned.
People walk around the fire, offer new grain, coconut and cow-dung cakes, and pray for the family. The fire is lit after Bhadra ends.
How the date is fixed
It is kept on the day the tithi is present at sunrise. If the tithi starts and ends between two sunrises, it is kept on the day it falls.
Story and meaning of Holika Dahan
The demon king Hiranyakashipu wanted everyone to worship him, but his son Prahlad was a devotee of Vishnu. After many failed attempts to harm him, he asked his sister Holika, who had a boon of not being burnt by fire, to sit with Prahlad on her lap in a blazing pyre. By Vishnu's grace Prahlad was safe and Holika burned to ashes. The bonfire is a reminder that faith defeats arrogance.
Holika Dahan puja vidhi
- Hold the dahan after Bhadra has ended, in the Pradosh time of Purnima, at the time on this page.
- Build the pyre with wood and cow-dung cakes, with a branch in the centre for Prahlad.
- Offer roli, flowers, raw cotton thread, jaggery, coconut and new grain.
- Walk around the fire three or seven times with the thread and pray for the family's well-being.
- Next morning, take a little of the ash as prasad.
Questions people ask
When is Holika Dahan in 2026?
Holika Dahan is on Tuesday, 3 March 2026 (as per New Delhi).
How is the date of Holika Dahan decided?
It is kept on the day the tithi is present at sunrise. If the tithi starts and ends between two sunrises, it is kept on the day it falls.
Can Holika Dahan be done during Bhadra?
Traditionally no. The fire is lit after Bhadra ends, so the muhurat above starts after it.