HOLI

About the colorful festival – Holi

Holi the festival of colors

Holi is a popular festival to all age people in India. It is a traditional Hindu festival which means festival of colors. It is the festival of color and love, as well as the triumph of good over evil. It is meant for the end of winter and the beginning of spring and takes place over two days. It is a festival of spring which always falls on Purnima, or the day of the full moon.

Holi has been celebrated in the Indian subcontinent for centuries and it is still widely celebrated as a religious festival. It is celebrated in many places around the world.

Holi goes on for a night and a day, beginning on the night of the Purnima falling in the month of Phalguna, which falls somewhere close to the finish of the month February and the center of March. The primary night is also known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the next day is popular as Holi or Rangwali Holi.

HOLIKA DAHAN

Holika Dahan is celebrated by burning Holika, an evil. For many traditional stories of Hinduism it is called as Prahlad a devotee of God Vishnu was trying to kill by Holika, and it is the order of his own father Hiranyakashipu, as he is the king of the asuras and he did not want to have a son like Prahlad. Father ordered his son Prahlad to get rid of worshipping of Vishnu and worshipped him as a God; but when Prahlad disagreed with his father, and refused to worship his father as a god. Then Holika (Hiranyakashipu’s sister and Prahlad’s aunt) and Hiranyakashipu were trying to kill him but God Vishnu rescued his devotee Prahlad and burnt the devil Holika. So, Holi gets its name. Thus, still the people celebrate Holika Dahan by burning wood and dung-cakes in a symbolic pyre to signify good defeating evil.

RANGWALI HOLI

The next day of Holika Dahan is celebrated as Rangwali Holi. Throwing of power or liquid colors on each other is the hallmark of Rangwali Holi. It refers as ‘Holiday of Colors’.

Playful Holi image

Traditional Colors of Holi

Traditionally, Holi colors were made from natural sources. It is believed that during the spring season the weather changes and causes viral fever and cold. The playful throwing of natural colored powers, called gulal has a medicinal significance. The colors were traditionally made of neem, kumkum, haldi, flowers, fruits and herbs.

Many colors are obtained by mixing two or three primary colors.

Orange and Red:

Red symbolizes love and fertility and orange symbolizes health and vitality. Red and orange colors are occurred by the flowers of palash or tesu tree. Also many other sources are hibiscus flower, red sandalwood, madder tree, radish, turnip and pomegranate. Mixing lime with turmeric power one gets the lovely color of orange.

Green:

Green refers nature and new beginnings. Green color mainly occurred by mehendi and dried leaves of gulmohur tree. People also use several herbs (neem, tulsi) as an alternate source of green.

Yellow:

Yellow signifies as a natural remedy. It is because the main source of yellow color is Haldi (turmeric) power which is a good natural medicine. Bael fruit, amaltas, species of marigold are alternate sources of yellow color.

Blue:

Blue represents the Hindu Lord Krishna. The traditional sources of blue color are Indigo plant, Indian berries, grapes, blue hibiscus and jacaranda flower.

Purple:

Purple represents magic and mystery. Beetroot is the traditional source of purple color.

Brown:

Brown refers to Earth and it relates to protection, security and material wealth. Dried tea leaves and clays are best alternate source of brown.

Black:

Black represents the Lord Krishna, the manifestation of Vishnu as his name means ‘dark’. Species of grapes, fruits of amla or gooseberry and vegetable carbon or charcoal offer gray to black colors.

In ancient times people used natural colors to play Holi as they believed that it is a festival of human beings and nature. Lord Krishna played Holi with his beloved Radha and friends, and that’s why they use the natural rangs to color each other as Lord Krishna also used the natural colors to play holi.

Rangoli image

Synthetic colors and its impacts

As time passes, people have been more civilized and the population rate also increases every year. So, in the Holi festival people make synthetic colors as all the natural resources are not available to all. So, the synthetic colors take the place of natural colors.

 The natural colors had positive effects on human body and even on animals also. The natural colors can also strengthen the ions in the body to promote good health and beauty.

But several synthetic colors cause skin irritation and inflammation. Lack of control over the quality and content of these colors is a problem as they are frequently sold by vendors who do not have the knowledge of their sources.

Don't throw color on the innocent animals; the colors may take their life

 Even some people throw colors on dogs and other animals. It causes a very harmful effect on the animal’s body as they do not take a proper bath to remove the chemical coloring. Various skin disease take place on their body and slowly it kills the innocent animals. Sometimes, these innocents lick the chemical colors in order to remove it from their body.