Short Story of Holika Dahan

Holika Dahan is celebrated every year, one day before the Holi festival. It is celebrated generally in the month of March, but have you ever thought why we celebrate Holika Dahan? Well if this is the case, then In this article you will read the short story of Holika Dahan and why we celebrate it.

Holika Dahan is also known as Choti Holi. In this festival bonfire is done to celebrate the burning of a Demoness named Holika. Holika was the sister of Hirankashyap.  It symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

Why Holika Dahan is Celebrated?

Holika Dahan is celebrated to symbolize the victory of good over evil. Holika was a sister of Hiranyakashap. According to the Bhagwat Puran, Hiranyakashyap has performed a tapasya to get a boon from Brahma. By getting the boon, he got some special powers. He could not be killed by the animal or any human being, nor by the astra (weapons) or by shastra, not on land and not on water.

After the wish has been granted to him, he feels that he is invincible, and because of this, he starts feeling arrogant. He ordered everyone to worship him and killed people who didn’t follow his orders. Unfortunately, his son Prahlad didn’t follow his orders and worshipped Lord Vishnu as worshipped before. This made Hiryankashyap angry and he made various attempts to kill his own son Prahlad. His various attempts to kill his sons failed as Lord Vishnu saved the life of his son, multiple times. After failing many times to kill the son, Hiryankashyap asked her sister Holika for help.

Holika has been granted a boon that has made her immune to fire, but the boon is not applicable if she gets burnt in the fire alone. When she came face to face with Prahlad, she died as Prahlad kept on chanting the name of Lord Narayana. Lord Narayan has blessed him for his extreme devotion. Hiranyakashyapo was later killed by Lord Vishu’s 4th incarnation Narasimha.

When holika has gone into fire with prahlad, she allowed the Prahlad to sit on her lap. While they both were sitting in the fire, the body of Holika started burning and she started screaming loudly. But as Prahlad was the devotee of Lord Vishnu, he was completely safe and even the fire couldn’t touch him.

Holika was killed by burning in a fire, so that’s why Holika Dahan is celebrated in the month of March. Therefore, Holi has been named after the name of holika which was the sister of Hirankashyap. This year holika dahan will be celebrated on 24 March 2024, and Holi is celebrated one day after which is 25 March 2024.

As per the mythology, fire even cannot touch Holika until she is alone in the fire.

Holika Dahan also symbolizes the end of the winter season and the beginning of the spring season. This gives another occasion to people to come together and celebrate, socialize, and have fun. Holika Dahan also have an ecological significance. The woods which was used in bonfire is derived from old and dried leaves and trunks. This also helps in cleaning the environment and prevention of disease. Holi is also celebrated as the love and devotion between Lord Krishna and Radha. The holi is celebrated in the month of Phalguna on the date of Purnima. It is also known as the festival of color, as people play Holi with colours and water. Some famous sweets made in this festival is Gujiya, thandai, and playing with water balloons. If you are celebrating Holi this year, then you can also check out our other article to send the quotes, wishes, messages, and status of happy Holi and greet them.

CONCLUSION

So this was the story of holika dahan and everyone knows that this symbiosis the victory of good over evil. People also takes pledge to burn all their negative thoughts and always spread love and happiness with others. It is always recommended to play holi with extreme caution and play for fun. If you have any other questions regarding the story of Holika Dahan and Holi, then make sure to comment below. Also there are many story revolving around the holika dahan and this is the most famous one. Also read our other article on Holi wishes which will help you to wish your best friends and family members a great and happy holi.