Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated around the world by people from different cultures. It’s an occasion to express joy, love and friendship; as well as for families to come together and share in its festivities.
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring and lasts one night and day. It takes place around March in Phalguna month of the Hindu calendar.
Holi is a festival celebrated around the world that brings people together by throwing dyes at each other. The vibrant colors symbolize both the start of a new season and an optimistic outlook for the future.
It’s time to let go of any negative thoughts or actions that have been holding you back, so that you can move forward with faith. On the night before the main event, a ritual called Holika Dahan (or “Chhoti Holi”) is conducted as an act of symbolic burning away any internal evils.
On a cold night, people light a bonfire and perform religious rituals to purge away any negative energy or feelings of envy, hate and animosity. The next morning, everyone is covered with colored powders – usually water balloons or water guns – before sunrise.
The colored powder you see is usually a combination of natural and synthetic dyes. Yellow can be found in turmeric powder, chickpea flour, bael fruit or amaltas; blue hues come from Indian berries, species of grapes, blue hibiscus flowers and jacaranda trees; browns come from dried tea leaves or clays while black comes from vegetable carbon or charcoal.
Before purchasing colored powder, be sure to read the ingredients list carefully. Cheap synthetic colors may contain hazardous chemicals which could be detrimental to your health.
For your Holi party, opt for natural colours like turmeric, haldi, saffron and marigold petals. Utilizing these organic ingredients can help protect you from allergies, skin rashes or cancer.
An enjoyable way to celebrate Holi is participating in a “color fight.” This activity allows people to squirt each other with colored liquid or powders, creating plenty of fun for all involved. It’s an excellent way to break down barriers between people and get to know each other better.
Though this type of playing may not always be safe, it’s a great way to celebrate the holiday and get to know your neighbors better. Additionally, it gives you an opportunity to showcase your creativity and celebrate culture at the same time!
This festival has a long-standing legacy of breaking boundaries and celebrating freedom, but it can also be used to foster tension and polarize communities, as religion professor Sippy points out.
This year’s Holi celebrations in India are particularly poignant due to the ongoing religious conflict. While some celebrate with joy, others express their anger and frustration at the government for enforcing a controversial citizenship law they claim has resulted in deadly violence.
