Holi 2025: Check Holika dahan dates, shubh muhurat, history, significance, puja vidhi, samagri for Choti Holi

Holi 2025: Holi 2025, the vibrant festival of colours, is generally a two-day festival: Chhoti Holi (Holika Dahan) on March 13, 2025, and Rangwali Holi on March 14, 2025. The shubh muhurat for Holika Dahan is from 11:26 PM on March 13 to 12:30 AM on March 14.

This festival is deeply rooted in history and significance. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil through the legend of Holika and Prahlada. The puja vidhi involves rituals like lighting bonfires and performing prayers to cleanse negative energies.

Holi 2025 date in India calendar

Holi, the enticing "Festival of Colours," will be celebrated in India on Friday, March 14, 2025. The festivities begin on Thursday, March 13, 2025, with Holika Dahan (Choti Holi). It is basically a ritual bonfire symbolising the triumph of good over evil.

What are Choti Holi 2025 puja timings?

The auspicious time for Holika Dahan is from 11:26 PM to 12:30 AM that night. Rangwali Holi, the day of playing with colours, follows on March 14. This colourful festival marks the arrival of spring, the end of winter, and the start of a prosperous harvest season.

Difference between Rangwali Holi & Choti Holi 2025

Holi, a Hindu festival, is celebrated over two days, with Choti Holi (Holika Dahan) and Rangwali Holi. In 2025, Choti Holi falls on March 13, and Rangwali Holi on March 14. Choti Holi centres around the ritual of Holika Dahan. It symbolises the triumph of good over evil through the burning of a bonfire. This practice is rooted in the mythological tale of Prahlad and Holika. Devotees perform prayers around the fire and seek prosperity and courage.

Rangwali Holi, celebrated the following day on March 14, is known as the "Festival of Colours." People smear each other with gulal, splash water, and enjoy traditional sweets like gujiya and drinks like thandai. This day symbolises joy, forgiveness, and community bonding through music, dance, and food.

Rangwali Holi 2025: Historical origins of Holi

Holi is an old Hindu festival that started a long time ago in India. It has many stories and traditions connected to it. One famous story is about a demon king named Hiranyakashipu, his son Prahlada, and his sister Holika. In the story, Holika tried to burn Prahlada, but because Prahlada truly believed in Lord Vishnu, Holika's plan failed, and she died. This story shows that good wins over evil. To remember this, people light big bonfires on the night before Holi, called Holika Dahan.

Holi also celebrates the fun and love between Krishna and Radha. According to old Hindu texts like the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna would playfully throw colours at Radha and the gopis. This is how the tradition of throwing colours during Holi started.

Holi 2025: Story and cultural significance

Holi 2025 is a Hindu festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring. The festivities begin with Holika Dahan on March 13. Culturally, Holi is a time for people to come together, forget past grievances, and start anew. People, in general, celebrate this with colourful celebrations, traditional sweets, and joyful gatherings.

Holi 2025: Rituals and celebrations

Below is the required Holi 2025 rituals and celebrations listed:

Day 1: Holika Dahan (March 13, 2025)

Preparation for Holika Dahan:

• Collect items for the puja: a bowl of water, cow dung beads, unbroken rice, flowers, raw cotton thread, agarbatti, batasha, moong (green gram), turmeric pieces, gulal, coconut, and freshly harvested grains like wheat or gram.
• Arrange a bonfire pile made of wood.
• Performing the Puja

Lighting the Bonfire:

• Light the bonfire after sunset during the auspicious Pradosh Kaal time to symbolise burning away negativity and evil.
• Collect ash from the bonfire to apply on the body for purification.

Day 2: Rangwali Holi (March 14, 2025)

Morning Celebrations:

• Gather with friends and family in open spaces.
• Play with gulal and water using balloons and water guns.
• Apply oil on skin and hair beforehand for easy removal of colours.

Festive Atmosphere:

• Sing songs, dance to dholak, and enjoy traditional music.
• Share sweets like gujiya, malpua, mathri, and cold drinks like thandai (often infused with bhang).

Evening Activities:

• Clean up and wear fresh clothes.
• Visit friends and family to exchange greetings and festive treats.

Special Holi Rituals of UP and Bihar: Ubtan

In UP and Bihar, there¡¯s a special Holi ritual. This is Ubtan of mustard seeds + turmeric, which is applied just one day before Holi. After that the Ubtan is put in the Holika Dahan fire, as it removes the dirt, and people say it takes away our body negativity.

Holi Special: Preparation of Mustard-Turmeric Ubtan

Ingredients:

• Mustard seeds
• Turmeric powder
• Optional: Yoghurt, honey, lemon juice, or mustard oil for added benefits.

Method:

• Mix ground mustard seeds with turmeric and other optional ingredients.
• Apply the paste to the body, scrub gently, and let it dry.
• Remove the dried ubtan by scrubbing it off without water.

Holi 2025: Regional Variations

• Dol Jatra: In West Bengal and Odisha, idols of Radha-Krishna are worshipped on swings while devotees sing traditional songs.
• Lathmar Holi: In Barsana (Mathura), women playfully beat men with sticks while men defend themselves with shields amidst colour splashing.
• Bhasm Holi: In Varanasi, ashes from cremation grounds are used to celebrate Holi as an ode to Lord Shiva.
• Phool Wali Holi: In Vrindavan's Banke Bihari temple, devotees shower flower petals instead of colours on idols of Radha-Krishna.

Choti Holi 2025 puja vidhi and samagri

• Sit facing east or north and sprinkle holy water on yourself and the puja thali.
• Take water, rice, flowers, and money in your right hand and make a Sankalp for the puja.
• Offer prayers to Lord Ganesha, Goddess Ambika, Lord Narasimha, and devotee Prahlada using flowers and rice while chanting mantras.
• Worship the Holika pile by offering turmeric pieces, moong, coconut, dried cow dung garlands, and gulal.
• Tie raw cotton threads around the Holika pile in three, five, or seven rounds while circumambulating it.
• Empty the water pot near the bonfire pile.

Samagri (Puja Items):

• Gangajal
• Cow dung
• Akshat
• Flowers
• Roli and moli
• Jaggery, turmeric, moong dal, batashe
• Gulal, coconut, wheat baaliyan
• Incense sticks, camphor, lamps

Holi is special for another reason, as it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. So, it is a celebration of renewal, love, and communal joy.

FAQs

1. When is Holi 2025 celebrated?

Answer: Holi 2025 is celebrated on March 14, with Chhoti Holi (Holika Dahan) on March 13.

2. What is the auspicious time for Holika Dahan in 2025?

Answer: The shubh muhurat for Holika Dahan is from 11:26 PM on March 13 to 12:30 AM on March 14, 2025.

3. What is the difference between Chhoti Holi and Rangwali Holi?

Answer: Chhoti Holi (March 13) involves Holika Dahan, a ritual bonfire symbolizing the victory of good over evil. Rangwali Holi (March 14) is a day of playing with colors, music, and food.

4. What is the significance of Holika Dahan?

Answer: Holika Dahan marks the victory of good over evil, symbolized by the story of Prahlad and Holika from Hindu mythology.

5. What rituals are followed on Rangwali Holi?

Answer: On Rangwali Holi (March 14), people play with colors, dance to traditional music, enjoy sweets like gujiya, and celebrate with family and friends.

(Note: Dates/timings may be subject to change; details mentioned here are as per the information available.)

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