Holi 2022 – Holika Dahan, Stories, Significance and Movies

Holi
2022 is just around the corner and we have started making plans for celebrating it. We all know that it is a major Hindu festival in India and it is highly awaited by the masses. Offices remain closed, schools don’t open and people travel distances to join their families in celebration. It is the festival when we leave our differences behind and reconcile with our friends. People take part in festivities, sing folk songs and gorge on delicious delicacies.

Table of Contents

When is Holi – Holi Kab Hai?

Holi 2022 will be celebrated on 18 March 2022, Friday. As per the Hindu calendar, Holi is celebrated on Pratipada of Chaitra Maas. Holi is a national holiday in India. Holi 2023 will be celebrated on 8th March 2023 Wednesday,

Muhurt for Holika Dahan

Holika Dahan or burning of Holika is celebrated on Purnima (full moon) of Falgun mass. This year Holika Dahan will be celebrated on 17th March 2022, Thursday. Holika Dahana 2023 will be celebrated on 7th March 2023 Tuesday from 6:24 pm to 8:51 pm. The Shubh Muhurta or auspicious muhurta would be for 2 hours 27 minutes.

Holika Dahan Pujan Vidhi or Worship Method

In Hindu rituals, the way of worshipping for Holika is prescribed and every devotee tries to follow these ways. Here is the Pujan Vidhi or way of worship of Holika Dahan.

On
this day, take bath before pujan starts.
Take
your asana or seat with your mouth directing east or north.
Make
a statue of Holika and Prahlad with cow dung.
Offer
mala (garland), roli, jaggery, dhup, flower, coconut, turmeric, moong, batasha,
gulal and five types of grain.
Worship
God Narsimha and take seven rounds of fire.
While
taking seven rounds of fire you should seek blessing for your family.

Significance
and Importance of Holika Dahan

The
fire of Holika Dahan is considered sacred. And devotees who make wishes while
taking rounds of Holika are always fulfilled. It is considered that devotees
should burn their ego and ignorance in the fire and follow the religiously
prescribed path. The devotees are expected to be a worshipper like Bhakt
Prahlad.

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Why
is Holi Celebrated – Puranic Story Behind Holi

There
are several puranic stories behind Holi. You may have heard some of them. Here
we narrate the most important ones.

One
story is the story of Hiranyakashipu and his son Bhakt Prahlad. As per the
story, Prahlad was the devotee of Lord Shiva which Hiranyakashipu didn’t
approve of. After several efforts to stop him from worshiping, Hiranyakashipu
tried to kill his son. Hiranyakashipu’s sister Holika had a god’s gift that she
can’t be burnt. The brother-sister duo
made a plan. Holika jumped into fire holding Prahlad. To everyone’s surprise,
Holika was burnt and died and Prahlad remained unharmed. It is why Holi is
celebrated the day following Holika Dahan.

The
other story involves God Shiva and Kamdev (the Indian equivalent of cupid). As
the story goes, Goddess Parvati was praying to God Shiva but he was not paying
attention. To add to her effort, Kamdev threw his flower arrow on him that
broke his meditation. The angry God Shiva burnt Kamdev to death. He paid
attention to Goddess Parvati and they got married. Kamdev’s wife Rati prayed to
God citing his innocence. Later, Shiva realized his fault and made Kamdev alive
but in body-less form. Kamdev celebrated after getting alive.

Why
is Holi celebrated with colors – Rangwali Holi

As
per religious beliefs, Rangwali Holi is celebrated to remember the pious love
of Radha and Krishna. As per a legend, once Krishna asked mother Yashoda why
she is not fair-skinned like Radha. To which Mother Yashoda said jokingly that
if Kanhaiya puts color on Radha’s face she may resemble color of Kanhaiya. As
per her mother’s instructions, Krishna played colorful Holi with Radha and
other gopis. It is how colorful Holi came into existence.

Hindi
Movies Depicting Holi

Films
are a chronicle of society and they depict several things from our mainstream
culture. As festivals are an important part of the culture, they have also
found a place in Hindi movies. Here we list major Hindi movies showing the
festival of Holi.