When is Holika Dahan 2027?

In New Delhi, Holika Dahan is on Monday, 22 March 2027, the night of Phalguna Purnima and the eve of Holi; Purnima runs 6:22 PM (21 Mar) to 4:13 PM. In some years the bonfire moves to the next evening because Bhadra covers the first night, so always check the date for your city on this page.

Because of Bhadra. The first half of Purnima is Vishti karana (Bhadra), and the bonfire is never lit in it. This year Bhadra covers the whole of that first evening and runs past midnight, while Purnima lasts into the last fifth of the next day's daylight — so the dahan moves to the next evening's pradosh, as AstroSage publishes it.

Three honest reasons. The tithi can be running at the deciding moment on two days or on none. North India reckons the month purnimanta and the south and west amanta, which names the same krishna fortnight differently. And almanacs differ on which moment of the day decides an observance. The instants above are the astronomy; the day is an interpretation of them.

In New Delhi the Holika Dahan muhurat is 6:33 PM to 8:55 PM. The rule is pradosh kaal, after sunset, while Purnima runs and after Bhadra has ended; when Bhadra lasts into the night, the fire waits for it to end, and when it lasts past midnight, the dahan moves to the next evening or to Bhadra's punchha.

Bhadra, also called Vishti, is one of the half-tithis (karanas), and it occupies the first half of every Purnima. Tradition counts it unfit for auspicious rites: a verse quoted in the dharmashastra digests says the Shravani (Raksha Bandhan) and the Phalguni (Holika Dahan) must never be done in Bhadra. Its mouth (mukha, 2:31 AM to 4:20 AM) is avoided absolutely; its tail (punchha, 1:26 AM to 2:31 AM) is used only when nothing else is left.

Because of Bhadra. When Purnima begins in the evening, its first half, Bhadra, can cover the whole first night past midnight. The fire is then lit the next evening, in pradosh, if Purnima still runs or has just run into it, as the classical rule allows; that is why calendars and cities can differ on the date.

A whole dry coconut, ears of new wheat, barley or gram (roasted and taken back as prasad), batashe, gulal, whole turmeric, a little gur, sesame and camphor, the ubtan scrapings from the morning, and in Rajasthan the badkulla garlands of cow-dung discs. Raw cotton thread is wound round the pyre before it is lit. Never put plastic, rubber or rubbish in it.

Most families go round the Holika three or seven times while winding raw cotton thread around it and pouring water, before it is lit, and once more, at a safe distance, after the fire has caught. The number follows family custom; the prayer for the household matters more than the count.

Hiranyakashipu, an asura king, tried to kill his son Prahlad for worshipping Vishnu. His sister Holika, who could not be burned, sat in a fire with Prahlad in her lap, but the fire spared the child and consumed her. Later Vishnu appeared as Narasimha and ended the king. The bonfire remembers the night devotion survived the fire.

It celebrates the protection of the devotee Prahlad and the destruction of Holika's power turned to cruelty: faith over arrogance. It also says farewell to winter and the old year, gives thanks for the new harvest, whose grain is roasted in the fire, and opens the day of colours that follows.

The traditional Holika puja verse, beginning asrikpa-bhaya-santrastaih, is said while offering at the pyre; Om Holikayai Namah with each offering; and the Narasimha mantra or Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya while going round. All are in the mantra section with their meaning.

A lota of water, raw cotton thread, roli, whole rice, flowers, whole turmeric, batashe, gulal, a dry coconut, gujiya or sweets, ears of new wheat, barley or gram, incense and a lamp; in Rajasthan, badkulla garlands; and the morning's ubtan scrapings. Keep a bucket of water and some sand for safety.

The Holika is a community fire, lit at a crossroads or an open ground, and families go there for the puja. At home, never light a fire indoors or on a roof; a small symbolic puja with a lamp, roli, rice and a prayer to Narasimha is enough for those who cannot go out.

On Holi morning, once the fire has cooled, many families bring home a little ash, apply it as a tilak, and keep a pinch in the house or scatter it in the fields, as a folk custom of blessing and protection. Take it only when it is fully cold.

In some years a lunar eclipse falls on Phalguna Purnima. Tradition then avoids worship during the eclipse and its sutak, and the dahan is held in a clear part of the evening outside them, as the panchang for that year notes. Check your city's panchang for the year's eclipse times.

In much of the South the same full moon is kept as Kama Dahanam, the burning of Kamadeva by Shiva's third eye, with fires in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka; the story of Holika and Prahlad is the North Indian telling.

By folk custom in parts of North India, a bride does not watch the first Holika of her in-laws' home, and many families keep expectant mothers away from the fire. These are customs, not scripture, and the practical reasons, smoke, heat and crowds, are good ones. Follow your family's practice.

No remedy comes with a guarantee. The upay in this guide, from new grain to the raw thread round the pyre, are traditional acts of gratitude and prayer for the family's protection. For debt, illness or any difficulty, seek proper advice and care; keep the customs for their meaning.