Holika

In Hindu mythology, the wicked sister of
the demon-king Hiranyakashipu.
Holika helps Hiranyakashipu try to
kill his son Prahlada, who is a
steadfast devotee (bhakta) of the god
Vishnu. Because of a divine power, she
cannot be harmed by fire. She tricks
Prahlada into sitting on her lap in a
bonfire, expecting that she will be
unharmed and he will die. Fortunately
Vishnu transfers her power from
Holika to Prahlada, and she is
consumed by the fire, while he remains
completely unscathed.
The myth of the burning of Holika is
the model for the bonfires for the festival of Holi. On a mythic level, the bonfire symbolizes the triumph of good over
evil; on another level, since the materials in the fire are supposed to be old and
broken things, the bonfire symbolizes
getting rid of one’s baggage from the
previous year, and starting anew.