Holi 2020 | Holika Dahan : Time and Date
BY : STARZSPEAK
Festival of love, sharing and caring is Holi. It is also called the festival of colours which is celebrated for two days according to Hindu rituals. This festival is a festival of Spring - in the months of February and March, comes after winter, so played with colours to show happiness. Festival starts with Holika Poojan and ends with colours. Two days out of which one is called Chhoti Holi or Holika Dahan and the other day is called Dulhandi or Rangwali Holi.
This is a Hindu festival but with the course of time, this festival has spread to other countries including England, USA, and Australia, among others. This year, Choti Holi will be celebrated on 9th March 2020 and Dulhandi will be on 10th March 2020.
Holi Muhurat - 9th March
- Holika Dahan Muhurta - 18:22 to 20:49
- Bhadra Punchha - 09:37 to 10:38
- Bhadra Mukha - 10:38 to 12:19
Rangwali Holi - 10th March
- Purnima Tithi Begins - 03:03 (9th March)
Holi pooja Vidhi
Things you need for Holi Poojan -
- One bowl of water - Kalash
- Cow dung balls
- Roli
- Rice
- Fragrances - Agarbatti or Dhoop
- Flowers petals
- Raw cotton thread
- Turmeric fingers
- Moong lentil
- Batashe
- Gulal powder
- Coconut
- wheat and gram - Fully grown crops
How to start Holi Poojan -
Holi Poojan is done at the place where Holika is made with wooden and cow dungs. The place is well cleaned and rinsed with cow dung. The place is then used for making Holika. To prepare Holika Dahan, wooden planks and cow dung balls are used. There is also a tradition of keeping four cow dung balls -
- For ancestors
- For God Hanuman
- for Goddess Sheetala
- Last for family
Steps in Holi Poojan :
- After preparing Holika Dahan place, married ladies go to the place wearing suhaag joda. They carry all Poojan samagri in a plate.
- Sit down on the floor facing the East or the North direction.
- Start the holi pooja doing shudhdhi. Sprinkle some ganga water you are carrying in kalash over you and your poojan samagri .
- Start the pooja by chanting the Vishnu Mantra thrice to seek his blessings - ऊँ पुण्डरीकाक्ष: पुनातु।
- Now keep all the pooja samagri near holika like rice, flower, haldi fingers, moong lentils, dried cow dung balls, bataesh etc and money.
- Now you need to worship lord Ganesha by chanting the following mantra -
गजाननं भूतगणादिसेवितं कपित्थजम्बूफलचारुभक्षणम्।
उमासुतं शोकविनाशकारकं नमामि विघ्नेश्वरपादपमजम्।।
ऊँ गं गणपतये नम: पंचोपचारार्थे गंधाक्षतपुष्पाणि समर्पयामि।
- During the chanting, sprinkle Roli, rice with money to Holika. Now Pray to Holika mata and request to fulfil your wishes. Also chant this Mantra.
असृक्पाभयसंत्रस्तै: कृता त्वं होलि बालिशै:
अतस्त्वां पूजयिष्यामि भूते भूतिप्रदा भव:।।
- Now start taking rounds around the Holika place and also tie the cotton thread around the Holika. Then offer Kalash water to Holika mata.
Holika Dahan
Holika is burnt in the evening at the shubh muhurat so that children and the other family members stay in good health. Also, the fire when lit, it is assumed it burn all types of evils and bad souls. As per Hindu traditions and holi rituals, it is considered highly inauspicious to lit the bonfire for Holika Dahan before the Sunset. As per sources, it is said that when the bonfire or Holika Dahan is done before sunset, it brings a lot of misery and misfortune in the life.
It is supposed to be performed on the panchang timings. Panchang is an astrological book which tells the pooja timings and muhurat. When Holika Dahan is performed, youngers take blessings from elders. There is a tradition to offer wheat and gram fully grown to the bonfire and roast them which later distributed as Holika Prasad.
Holika story - Holika Dahan is done to celebrate the victory of good over bad. Hiranyakashyap who was a bad evil asked his sister Holika to kill his son Prahlad. Holika tried to fulfil her brother's wish she sat with Prahlad in the bonfire. The reason Hiranyakashyap wanted to kill his son that he worshipped Lord Vishnu and not his father Hiranyakashyap. Holika had the blessing of not getting affected by the fire. When Holika sat with Prahalada in the fire, he was saved and Holika was burnt to death by the grace of God Vishnu. The celebration of Holika Dahan is carried out in order in the remembrance of the Holika.
Dulhandi or Rangwali Holi
After choti holi, the next day is called rang wali holi or dulhandi. On this day, people play with colours, water, balloons etc. This day is considered to spread love and share with each other. This day ladies make special dishes and sweets like Gunjia. Also as a drink, thandai and bhang are served.
The Best Destinations To Celebrate Holi Holidays 2020
In India, the festival of holi is celebrated at a very large scale. There are many destinations where holi is celebrated in a different style. The kind of holi played in Braj areas like Mathura, Vrindavan, Gowardhan, Gokul, Nandagaon and Barsana are very famous. Barsana 's Lathmar Holi is world-famous.
Here we are going to list out the destinations you can go to the festival of Holi in India in 2020 are -
Uttar Pradesh - There are a few rites associated with the Holi festival in Uttar Pradesh. On the eve of the festival, people across the state will take part in lighting the fire. Under the fire, a jar of barley seeds is kept and then on the basis of the condition of seeds, the future harvest is predicted
Mathura: One of the best destinations to enjoy the festival Holi is Mathura. Mathura is the birthplace of Krishna, so in this city, Krishan-Radha rasleela are staged at various places and people play with gulal and water.
Vrindavan: Place full of serenity, devotion and customs on the festival of holi is Vrindavan. On the day of Dulhandi, temples are decorated with colourful flowers. People enjoy playing holi and especially at Banke Bihari temple holi is played with great pump and show.
Barsana: In the barsana, lathmaar holi i.e. laathi waali holi is world-famous. Holi is celebrated in a different style in Barsana where men are beaten up by women in the village. Barsana is famous as the Radha’s home. Lathmar Holi in 2020: In Barsana – 4th March, In Nandgaon – 5th March
