How to Have a Imperfectly Eco-Friendly and Imperfectly Sustainable Holika Dahan

The victory of good over evil!

Prahalad bhakt ki jai!

The cheerful sounds of Holi’s merriment are often preceded by ritualistic chants in many Indian cultures. Mine happens to be one of them.

The night before raang-holi, we take part in a communal bonfire where we burn badkulas made of cow dung to symbolize evil, and roast papad and sugarcane to eat. There is merriment in the air despite a deep sense of being part of something that connects us to the wider universe. Perhaps, a placebo to many, but to those who believe, it is a part of the larger truths of life when the single is broken by the crackling of the fire that will devour all evil and leave our soil fresh for the next set of crops.

But why do we do this ritual?

The History and Story of Holika-dahan

Because it symbolizes the victory of the pious and the pure over those with ill-intentions. It is a tale as old as time, that I have heard growing up. On my mother’s knee I got to know of Prahalad, who was a devotee of Vishnu, something his father did not like. Thus, he got his sister, Holika, who had a boon that she would be immune to fire, to sit in a pyre while holding Prahalad. But the child’s devotion to the God was so strong, that he remained fine, while the evil Holika burnt to death.

It has been theorized that since Indian summers are hot, Raang-Holi is essentially a way to cool the body down by playing with water…while Holika-dahan was a means to stop the spread of disease.

But today circumstances have changed. Our cultural needs of today cannot be fulfilled by choking the atmosphere and killing the hope of tomorrow.

Thus, the evil of our generation, one of them at least, happens to be the looming existential threat of climate change. As Isabelle Drury said in Finding Sanity it is not just about saving the planet, but about making a more fulfilling world. Community festivals like Holi have a major role there by bringing us together, getting us to replace consumption and material good with spiritual and communal wellness.

Except…

The burning of mass amounts of wood and especially bio-materials like cow-dung and biogas has a negative impact on the environment, if environmentalists are to be believed, even if some sources are advocating for replacing wood burning with cow-dung branches since they burn slower. Others simply had symbolic bonfires or even donated to tree plantations instead. To honour Agni Dev, the Fire God, we do not have to burn the planet itself and we are coming around to that, even if burning cow-dung isn’t the eco-friendly either.

Now, I am not going to sit here and lecture people to give up their traditions, especially when we can just adapt to the times and because I love bonfires and havans for the peace they bring. In small quanties, they might have not have caused much harm, but now? All over the country in many societies? With climate change looming- there is a reason I feel compleled to watch a video of a previous holika dahan or at least switch to an electric fire.

Keep the festival, what is good about it, and acknowledge and replace what is no longer viable or what has a history that no longer serves us today.

But how do you turn Holika-dahan which is a mass bonfire green?

And why should you? After all, it’s just some deforestation and air pollution. Right?

Let’s take a look at the impact.

Not only are natural materials burnt, but they are piled alongside rubber, tyres, plastic waste, and garbage. Burning these releases harmful chemicals which can not only lead to poor air quality that could theoretically spread respiratory diseases, defeating the point of the festival and community engagement, but also harms nearby monuments. This attacks the history and cultural legacy of our country. Also, people. Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death, and given how the AQI of Indian cities is we have to take a sharp look at our actions.

Moreover, trees are carbon sinks. Cutting them en-mass to burn releases that carbon in the atmosphere, leading to more global warming, which can lead to harsher heat waves. Apne pare pe khulhadi (using an axe to cut your own feet) has a whole new meaning now. While, previously when done in small amounts and with only organic materials, the release of Co2 was an issue we could have combated, today given the rise in global temperatures, it has become prudent to look at alternatives. Especially given that our culture also has havaans, which a study in the International Journal of Novel Research and Development have found purifies the air due to the use of mango wood and ghee using an aura gauge. Again, I am not fully sold on the idea of burning anything, especially something that goes against being plant-based, but I have linked the study for your pursual.

After all, holika-dahan is a cultural necessity for many.

What Are Some Acceptable and Realistic Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Holika Dahan?

Let’s not leave aunties and grandads shik shak shook by emhasis how burning anything releases a large amount of Co2, as said by Hannah Ritchie, PhD, in her book Not the End of the World, and instead try and implement as many of these as possible in our victory over evil. Also, while burning anything does release Co2, we must also consider that the festival happens once a year- but alongside that it is necessary to realize it happens almost all over North India, in every society in many cities. Hence, we begin with…

Smaller Bonfires but Communal Ones

The idea is to keep the joy and benefits of holika-dahan alive while making it more suitable to the times and problems we face. Let’s make smaller bonfires with old unusable straw and organic matters with some innovations to filter sulphur and CO2 when possible, though currently it seems unlikely, but there is always the option to have a symbolic burning or switch to renewable electric stoves which we put in one corner of a building and make communal papad over to ward against disease. Or we can have virtual celebrations or smaller bonfires . Many housing complexes have large bonfire where all members come together to pray and dance, but perhaps we can make them even more communal, by engaging multiple societies- while keeping safety in mind. And as mentioned, it would be better to reduce the size, while keeping these serving multiple-family bonfires.

Is it just me or just Holia-dahan share some similarities with Lori?

But even if we make smaller or greener “bon” fires which invite entire communities to contribute, instead of ones for a few families alone, what will we put in them to reduce the CO2 emissions?

Organic Materials Only

According to experts, traditionally only twigs, dry leaves, and the wood of nine selected trees was allowed to be part of the Holi-dahan fire. If the above study is right, we can include items like kappor, mango wood, and such havan samagri to ensure we purify not pollute but I would encourage someone to actually check the air quality around the holika and see if it works. Other items like unbroken rice grains are traditionally thrown in the fire, leading to speculation that it could have been a harvest or growing related festival of some sort, which would align with slash-and-burn agricultural practices, which have been criticized by colonizers for their environmental impact but do release Co2 in the atmosphere. While these are sources of debate, it is documented for sure that it the ritualistic Parikarma or going around the fire was to kill bacteria by heat exposure.

All this shows, that the idea was to pave way to a better season, a healthier one.

In such a case, burning non-organic materials defeats the purpose of the festival, as mentioned. It’s like Frodo going to Mordor and becoming Sauron. The steps are right but the outcome? Oppsy-daisy.

We have to be mindful that we try and source our organic materials from our own homes, and regenerative farms or or sustainable farms. Because while organic farming uses more land than conventional farming- thereby being able to feed less people- and mismanaged organic farming can release manure into fresh water systems and cause algae growth that kills marine life, also known as eutrophication, it has has benefits such as being better for pollinators. Or not contributing to the methane release of artificial fertilizer factories from the US. Putting it in perspective, methane is 28 times more powerful a green house gas than Co2.

But we can return to the traditional ways with a slight modern touch. Only use branches that have naturally fallen alongside dry leaves and twigs. If more wood is needed, there are companies that make firewood coffee grounds and such. All these can lead to the cleaning effects without causing much air pollution, which is one of the highest drivers of deaths in the modern world. And it could help enhance soil health, which might be useless in urban areas, but in areas where Holika-dahan traditionally originated, it must have been part of the farming practices to add nutrients to the soil. But that’s just speculation on my part. Thus, we can take away, return to traditional ways and do not cut new trees for holika dahan, instead use alternatives like wood enhanced with used coffee grounds if culturally and geographically viable, even if some sources say burning coffee ground releases harmful chemicals. We must keep reduction in air pollution and improving the AQI of our cities a top priority. This can be done by reducing the number of cars on the streets, finding better alternatives to crop burning, reducing holi-dahan sizes and numbers, and reducing dependence on wood and fossil fuels for cooking and heating. Most of these ideas as from Not the End of the World, which is a book that emphasizes techno-solutions to climate change and has been criticized for being too apolitical and not acknowledging the place of degrowth in climate solutions.

Try and Reduce the Amount of Bio-Mass, such as Biogas and Cow-Dung with Small Badkulas

Now, see cow-dung being used might have been sustainable in previous times and the above mentioned study does show the benefits of homes which have cow-dung floors. And while regenerative family practices are best, using cow-dung and bio-mass excessively can lead to air pollution, which also happens to be one of the arguments against mismanaged bio-fuels. Plus, we want to ensure that the Indian tradition of caring for farm animals stays alive, without commercialization of their by-products leading us into factory farming, even if supporting farm economy is one the ways Indian government is promoting sustainable development.

Yet, we can’t sit here and tell people that don’t have badkulas, or reuse them, if that’s against their culture. What we can say is look for sustainable cow dung from regenerative and sustainable or local ethical farms, with which to make your badkulas. Support local economy but keep in mind seasonal food is better than locally grown non-traditional food for the climate.

And maybe decrease the quantity and size of the badkuls when possible so that not as much carbon is released during the celebrations. I am personally looking to do this symbolically if my family allows with just sand, but that is a huge risk to take, even when asking because people are attached to their traditions, which originated mostly with good reason in their times.

So yes, if possible, eliminate or reuse, of course but if you can’t do your best and when possible advocate for better.

Because, healthy sustainability is realistic and imperfect. We have to do what we can instead of making eco-friendly living the bad guy because, “I had to give up traditions that added value to my to save the planet and then burnt out because I couldn’t sustain my new habits nor introduce other items to fill the void of the things I had given up. Thus, I now advocated against green living,” is not the path forward.

That’s a crap take, my dude. Just don’t do it. Be respectful and mindful and gentle with your eco-work.

And another thing you can quit is…

Not Celebrate with Extremely Loud Loud Speakers

Holi was supposed to be about folk music and peace and fun, a shower of prem or love. Not loud music blaring at odd hours and hurting animals and the elderly. While loudspeakers can be used within reason in areas such as say clubs etc. but maybe it is time for us to return more and more to the old ways of singing with out people and having fun. Leave the showing off for a while and plug in your Spotify to a small speaker to enjoy with your group of friends without hurting those with weak hearts.

Community, folks. Community. Both a boon and a responsibility, but if we aren’t making a good village, we are simply hurting ourselves in the long run. Whether that be by being unnecessarily rigid and judgmental or by ignoring the needs of others when its not much loss to us to accommodate.

Before I sign off, let me remind you, our traditions and cultures tell us to respect the Earth. Holika-dahan, according to many women who celebrate with all the shardaha and faith happened on intersections to ward off evil and to protect Earth and its children. We call it Mother for a reason. So, it isn’t non-Indian or going against tradition to be sustainable. Thus, in 2025, let us keep the joys and the diseases beating, culture spreading aspects of our festival, while saying no to items which unfortunately, human and especially corporation activities have turned into an environmental hazard.

Let us take a moment to sit with our dadis and nanis. Learn the eco-friendlier ways of their times for celebrating Holi and Holika-dahan. While not everything they teach is unproblematic, most of it has deep wisdom, especially about honoring nature.

And then if needed, let us innovate.

This Holi, let’s take a moment to respect our Prithvi Maa, the planet that has nourished us for generations.

And as always, the comments are there for you to let me know, what you are doing this Holika-dahan and Raang Holi to be more sustainable while staying healthy. Let’s let the warmth of the fire, enhance the beats of our feet, and the colours of joy spread their wings, this holi.

Author’s Note: There was no intention to be disrespectful with this piece. If you found this valuable, do consider subscribing to RealisticallySustainableDiary, my YouTube which talks about realistic, imperfect, and everyday sustainability.

Updated- 12/03/25