# Holashtak: The Eight Days Before Holi

> Holashtak, the eight days before Holika Dahan: why they are held inauspicious, what is avoided, and how the Holi pole is set up.

Source: https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/info/holashtak

| Begins | Phalguna Shukla Ashtami |
| --- | --- |
| Ends | Phalguna Purnima, with Holika Dahan |
| Avoided | Weddings, griha pravesh, mundan and other samskaras |

## Why the days are inauspicious

Tradition holds that in these eight days Hiranyakashipu tormented his son Prahlada, trying again and again to kill him for his devotion to Vishnu, until on the full Moon Holika sat with him in the fire. Another story says that Kama, the god of love, was burned by Shiva on the Ashtami, and the world mourned him for eight days. Astrologers add that the grahas are in a fierce state through these days, one on each day.

## What is done

On the first day a pole or a branch is set up at the place where the Holi bonfire will be lit, and wood and cow-dung cakes are added to it day by day. Weddings, housewarmings, the first haircut of a child, the thread ceremony, buying property or vehicles and starting a business are put off. Devotion, charity and the worship of Narasimha and Hanuman are encouraged instead. The custom is kept mostly in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

When the bonfire burns on the full Moon, Holashtak ends, and auspicious work can begin again after Holi.

## Holashtak and astrology

Astrologers explain that in these eight days the grahas are in a fierce or unsteady state: the Moon on the Ashtami, the Sun on the Navami, Saturn on the Dashami, Venus on the Ekadashi, Jupiter on the Dwadashi, Mercury on the Trayodashi, Mars on the Chaturdashi and Rahu on the Purnima. Decisions taken now are thought likely to be hasty, so new ventures wait until after Holi.

## Dates and related pages

- [Holi](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/info/holi)
- [Holi Puja Vidhi](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/holi-puja-vidhi)
- [Narasimha Jayanti Vrat Katha](https://www.hinducalendar.today/vrat-katha/narasimha-jayanti/narasimha-jayanti-vrat-katha)

## Hindu Festivals

- [Diwali](https://www.hinducalendar.today/diwali/info/diwali)
- [Naraka Chaturdashi](https://www.hinducalendar.today/diwali/naraka-chaturdashi/info/naraka-chaturdashi)
- [Dussehra (Vijayadashami)](https://www.hinducalendar.today/dasara/info/dussehra-vijayadashami)
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- [Navratri](https://www.hinducalendar.today/navratri/info/navratri)
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- [Holi](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/info/holi)
- Holashtak
- [Why Holika Is Worshipped](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/info/why-holika-is-worshipped)
- [Rangwali Holi](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/holi/festivals-holi-rangwali)
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- [Why Festival Dates Differ by Place](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/hindu-festival-date-shift-with-timezone)
- [The Hindu New Year (Samvat)](https://www.hinducalendar.today/festivals/samvat-newyear/new-hindu-samvata-year-begins)
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- [Krishna's Date of Birth](https://www.hinducalendar.today/dashavatara/lord-krishna/krishna-date-of-birth)
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