Holika Dahan 2026
Holika Dahan 2026 falls on Monday, Monday, March 2, 2026. Observed on: phalguna shukla 14.
Exact date, puja muhurat & city-wise timings for Holika Dahan 2026
Key Information
Festival Date
Monday, March 2, 2026
2026 Calendar Context
Weekday
Monday
Vikram Samvat
2083
Shaka Samvat
1948
This year Holika Dahan falls on a Monday, 11 days earlier than 2025 (2025-03-13) — typical lunar-calendar drift.
Falling on a Monday brings a Chandra emphasis — lunar rites and milk/rice offerings carry extra weight, especially for the moon-sensitive nakshatras.
The 2025 observance fell on Thursday, 2025-03-13 — this year arrives 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar, the familiar 11-day shift of the unmodified lunar year.
Looking ahead to 2027, Holika Dahan will fall on Sunday, 2027-03-21 (19 days later than this year). So planning ritual schedules across years means anchoring to the tithi rather than the Gregorian date.
Astronomical context for Holika Dahan 2026
On Monday, March 2, 2026, sunrise in Delhi (the reference city for this page) falls at 06:45 IST and sunset at 18:21 IST — a daylight span of 11h 36m. Across the six pan-Indian cities tabulated below, sunrise on this date varies from 05:57 (Kolkata) at the eastern edge to 06:57 (Mumbai) in the west — a 60-minute difference that drives the city-by-city muhurat shift you see in the table.
For Holika Dahan 2026, the central rite of udaya tithi (sunrise) depends on the Phalguna Shukla 14 being present during that window on 2026-03-02 — confirmed across 6 reference cities in this year's computation pass. Cities further east (Kolkata, Chennai) see the window open ~15-25 minutes before Delhi; cities west of Delhi (Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore) see it start later by a similar margin.
City-Wise Timings for Holika Dahan 2026
| City | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 6:45 AM | 6:21 PM |
| Mumbai | 6:57 AM | 6:44 PM |
| Bangalore | 6:35 AM | 6:28 PM |
| Chennai | 6:24 AM | 6:17 PM |
| Kolkata | 5:57 AM | 5:40 PM |
| Pune | 6:53 AM | 6:40 PM |
How will Holika Dahan 2026 affect your sign?
Pick your Moon sign — slow-planet transits read the festival's pull on your chart.
Don't know your sign? Open the Moon-sign calculator →Want a full personalised reading for Holika Dahan 2026?
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Holika Dahan — Do's & Don'ts
Sourced from Dharmasindhu, Nirnayasindhu, and contemporary tradition.
Do
- Light the bonfire after sunset, during the Pradosh + Bhadra-free window.
- Circumambulate the fire (parikrama) at least 7 times — one for each chakra.
- Offer roasted grains, coconut, and one item representing what you want to release.
- Recite Narasimha mantra — Prahlada-Holika story's deity.
Don't
- Do not light the fire during the Bhadra time window — explicitly inauspicious.
- Avoid lighting a fire larger than necessary — environmental + safety concerns.
- Do not stand directly downwind of the fire — smoke is harmful for lungs.
- Do not skip morning bath next day before playing Holi.
Holika Dahan 2026 Wishes & Greetings
One click to copy. All original — free to share, even for business.
Tonight the fire takes what should not survive the year. Wishing you the honesty to feed it the right things. Shubh Holika Dahan.
Bonfire night before the colour day. Take a piece of paper, write what you want gone, drop it in. Holika Dahan wishes.
A few logs, a few neighbours, a circle of light in March. The simplest version of community we still have. Wishing you that warmth.
Holika consented to be burnt — that's the part the children's version skips. Wishing you the maturity to read the story whole this year.
Sit by the fire long enough that you forget what you came to release. Then go home and remember.
Holika Dahan + Holi — Festival Cluster
The Phalguna full-moon bonfire (Holika Dahan) and the colour-throwing day after (Holi) are a two-day Mars-driven sequence of release and renewal.
Holika Dahan Across the Years — 2020-2030
Past and future dates — one place.
Why This Date?
Holika Dahan follows the Udaya Tithi rule – the festival is observed on the day when the required tithi prevails at sunrise. This is the default Dharmasindhu convention for festivals without a special time-window requirement.
Puja Vidhi
Materials Required
- Cow dung cakes(15-20)
- Wood logs and dry twigs
- Whole coconut (with husk)(1)
- White sesame seeds (til)
- New harvest wheat ears
Puja Steps
- 1
Holika Pyre Construction
Days before the festival, collect cow dung cakes, wood logs, and dry material. Build a large pyre in an open community a...
- 2
Puja Sthapana & Invocation
At Pradosh Kaal, place a water pot near the pyre. Arrange kumkum, akshat, flowers, coconut, sesame, and other offerings ...
- 3
Sankalpa & Offerings to Fire
Take sankalpa by holding water in the right palm. Offer akshat and kumkum to the pyre. Place the whole coconut, sesame s...
Phala (Benefits)
Holika Dahan destroys all sins, evil influences, and negativity accumulated over the year. The sacred fire purifies the devotee and the surroundings. It bestows protection from enemies, freedom from fear, and the blessings of Lord Narasimha. The ritual celebrates the eternal triumph of devotion over demonic forces.
Deity
Agni (Fire God), Lord Vishnu
Legend & History
Holika Dahan commemorates the burning of the demoness Holika. Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika had a divine boon granting her immunity from fire. She sat on a pyre with young Prahlad in her lap to kill … Read full legend →Show less ↑
Holika Dahan commemorates the burning of the demoness Holika. Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika had a divine boon granting her immunity from fire. She sat on a pyre with young Prahlad in her lap to kill him for his devotion to Vishnu. But the boon protected only one who sat alone – Holika was consumed by flames while Prahlad emerged unharmed, protected by his unflinching faith.
How to Observe
A large bonfire is lit at a public gathering at an auspicious muhurta after sunset on Phalguna Purnima. Devotees circumambulate the fire, offer coconut, grains, and popcorn to the flames, and pray for the destruction of evil. Raw coconut and new grains are roasted in the fire as prasad. People chant mantras and apply ash from the holy fire on their foreheads.
Significance
Holika Dahan symbolizes the victory of devotion over demonic power and good over evil. The sacred fire is believed to purify the atmosphere and burn away negativity. It is celebrated on the eve of Holi – the next morning begins the festival of colours.
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