Known as the festival of colours, the Hindu festival is celebrated as ‘Dol Jatra’ or ‘Basanta Utsav’ in West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura.
According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival is generally celebrated in late February or early March, marking the arrival of spring and the end of winter. It coincides with the full moon or Purnima on the evening of the Hindu month of Phalguna.
When is Holi in 2024?
This year, the momentous festival of Holi will be observed on Monday, March 25, 2024, while a day before Holi, which is celebrated as Holika Dahan or Choti Holi, will be marked on Sunday, March 24.
The muhurat for Holi will be from 7.19 pm to 9.38 pm on March 24, while on the next day, people may play Holi by smearing colours on friends and family members.
However, according to Drik Panchang, the auspicious timings are as follows:
Purnima Tithi Begins – 09:54 AM on March 24, 2024
Purnima Tithi Ends – 12:29 PM on March 25, 2024
In 2023, Holi was celebrated on 8 March.
How puja is performed on Holi?
On the first day of Holi, people burn a pile of wood as a symbol of victory of good over evil. Requisites for pooja include raw cotton thread, coconut, gulal powder, vermilion, akshat (grains of rice), incense sticks and flowers, batasha (sweets made of sugar powder), turmeric, and a bowl of water.
However, for the ‘Holika Dahan’ puja, people would require raw cotton threads that are tied around the pile of wood three or seven times. Following this, Ganga water is sprinkled on it along with flowers and vermilion. After that, rosary, roli, akshat, batasha, turmeric, gulal, and coconut are used to worship the structure.
Foods prepared on Holi:
On the second day of Holi, people prepare delicious delicacies including gujiyas – sweet dumplings filled with khoya, and thandai, a refreshing drink infused with nuts and spices. Apart from that other delicacies are also cooked and served to guests.
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Published: 09 Mar 2024, 06:47 PM IST