Holi: The Festival of Colors in India
Holi festival or the festival of colors in India
Holi is a religious festival celebrated by Hindus. It is also known as a festival of colors. It is celebrated at the end of winter on the last full moon day of the lunar month, which generally falls at the end of February or March (spring equinox).
It is mainly observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan and countries with a large Indian diaspora following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, the UK, the USA, Mauritius and Fiji. The most famous Holi is celebrated in the Braj region, which has become a tourist destination during the Holi season (W. Crooke, 1914).
In most regions, Holi lasts around two days. Every year, thousands of Hindus take part in the festival. Holi has many purposes. As well as being religious, it celebrates the beginning of spring. Hindus believe it's a time to enjoy the colors of spring and say goodbye to winter.
Holi is celebrated by people throwing colored powder and colored water at each other. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, also known as Holika Dahan (Holika fire). Afterwards, prayers are said and praises offered. The bonfires are lit in memory of the festival's origins.
What is the purpose of the Holi festival?
The Holi festival has cultural significance among the various Hindu traditions of the Indian subcontinent. It's a festive day to finish and get rid of past mistakes, to put an end to conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or cancel debts, and deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the beginning of spring, an opportunity for people to enjoy the changing seasons and make new friends.
Meaning of this Indian festival
Holi is a Hindu spring festival, originating in the Indian subcontinent and celebrated worldwide. Often referred to as the "Festival of Colors", there are many legends about the origins of the Holi celebration. Although some Hindu communities prefer one story to another, the messages of love, goodness and renewal are the same.
The moral story: Prahlad and Holika
One of the most popular stories involves the evil king Hiranyakashipu and his demon sister Holika.
Legend has it that King Hiranyakashipu believed he was all-powerful, omnipotent, and could not be defeated. In fact, he was so proud of himself that he made a law requiring his subjects to worship only him, not God. However, his own son, the young prince Prahlad broke this law daily with his prayers to Lord Vishnu. Frustrated and angry at his defiant son, the king tried to have Prahlad injured and even killed, but Prahlad remained unharmed.
Finally, the king turned to his sister Holika, who had a special power that prevented her from being injured or burned by agni (fire). To help her brother, the king, Holika decided that she would take Prahlad to a home and reduce the little boy to ashes. Although the fire would not harm Holika, it would hurt Prahlad. However, Lord Vishnu heard Prahlad's prayers to save him and intervened to prevent Prahlad from being hurt. Lord Vishnu then reversed Holika's powers so that she would be burned instead. In this story, Holi reminds Hindus of the power of good over evil and of working on good habits while eliminating bad ones.
The love story: Krishna and Radha
A very popular story about the origins of Holi is attributed to the time when Lord Krishna was just a little boy. Lord Krishna was a very mischievous child who loved to play pranks on his friends and family. Krishna often playfully teased and taunted his friends, especially his best friend Radha who was a local beauty and one of his special friends.
One day, he asked his mother why he was so dark-skinned, while Radha and his other friends were so blond. His mother playfully suggested that if he threw different colors on Radha's face, he could change her face to any color he wanted. Fascinated by this idea, young Krishna began the tradition of throwing color on Holi.
For many Hindus, celebrating Holi is a way of honoring Lord Krishna. It's common to see Lord Krishna sitting on a swing with Radha, or in a cradle swing as a baby. Swings are often decorated with flowers and painted with gulal (colored powder).
In this story, the festival of Holi reminds Hindus that all are equal, whatever our external differences, and is therefore also called the "Festival of Love".
The harvest story: spring crops
In northern and rural India, Holi celebrates the start of the spring harvest. For many farming communities, Holi signals the end of winter hardships, accompanied by low temperatures, poor harvests and inadequate shelter to cope with the cold winter months.
As many people in India harvest their wheat in spring, and there are communal elements to Holi, some people liken it to the American tradition of Thanksgiving. For others, it aligns more closely with the Jewish tradition of Passover because of its themes of renewal and new beginnings.
The meaning of Holi comes from a special process in which wheat and other grains are roasted together. This special mixture is called holuk, hence the name Holi. On the eve of Holi, it is customary to light a bonfire and roast grains and corn as an offering to eat, and to promote a sense of camaraderie and community among those celebrating. The word Holi is also said to come from the Hindi word "hola", meaning to offer sacrifices or prayers in thanksgiving for a good harvest. In this story, Holi reminds Hindus of the new beginning that spring and the sowing season bring.
It's important to remember that Holi is a time for fun and celebration with friends, family and strangers. Color paints the sky, rangolis are painted in front of homes, temples and businesses, children receive new toys, and festive music and rhythms create a noisy and fun environment. There are no formalities with Holi, and with music in the air and colored powder floating all around, no one can help but smile.
Who celebrates holi? How do we celebrate Holi around the world?
Holi is a Hindu celebration that originated in ancient India. Today, however, people of all nationalities, origins and religions celebrate Holi all over the world.
In India
In India, Holi is associated with relaxed social expectations, meaning that all people mingle regardless of age, gender or wealth. Expectations of behavior are also relaxed, creating a fun but chaotic atmosphere.
A common saying heard during Holi is "Buran a mano, Holi hai", meaning "don't be offended, it's Holi.
On the evening of Holika Dahan (the first day of the festival), a public bonfire is lit to celebrate the cremation of Holika rather than Prahlad. In the weeks leading up to Holi, Hindu boys traditionally collect waste wood for the fire, which is lit between 10 p.m. and midnight and everyone gathers in the street making lots of noise. People perform religious rituals, asking their god for forgiveness and praying for all evil to cease.
During Rangwali Holi (the second day of the festival), the colorful part of the celebration takes place, when people:
- throw colored paint at each other;
- throw water bombs at each other;
- sing, dance and have fun together.
Holi in Nepal, Asia
Holi is also celebrated in Nepal as a national holiday, and is celebrated on the same date as Indian Holi.
Many of the same activities take place as in India, with the emphasis on traditional concerts held in most towns.
In Guyana, South America
Holi arrived in Guyana in the 19th century with forced laborers from India, but has changed to have a unique Caribbean-Indian feel with traditional Indian Chowtal music combined with Creole influences. Most people wear old white clothes in the hope that they won't stay white for long!
In Germany, Europe
Held every year in the German capital, Berlin, is a modern version of the traditional Hindu festival. The Holi Festival of Colours, Berlin, is an electronic music festival, combining DJs from all over the world with the colorful powder paint of Holi. Bringing together people from all walks of life, the festival is a colorful experience for all!
The festival of colors
Celebrating the victory of good over evil, Holi is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the harvests to come. It's the Holi festival of colors, the festival of the colors of emotions and happiness. And what better way to express yourself than with the vibrant colors of the rainbow?
The central ritual of Holi is the throwing and application of colored water and powders on friends and family, giving the festival its common name "Festival of Colors". Come Holi, and the country is alive with fascinating hues of blues, yellows, magentas, greens, purples and more. Clouds of color dancing in the wind carry the message of love and happiness through walls, neighbors and hearts.
Brightly colored powders are the mainstay of the Holi festival, during which men, women and children carry powders and liquid colors to throw and smear on the clothes and faces of neighbors and relatives. While dry powdered colors are called "gulal", colors mixed with water are called "rang". Tables with bags of colors line the entrance while neighbors and family wait for others to enter the field. It's a day to celebrate and let go - loud music, local beers and fun chatter are all staples of the celebrations.
But above all, Holi is the day you'll see India's streets and homes covered in almost every color imaginable. Every color has a meaning, religious or otherwise. And there's a color for almost every occasion, moment or celebration. Each color symbolizes a force in life, and so color and life are inseparable.
While the most popular colors are the brightest - blue, yellow, red, purple, pink and green - some colors are traditionally absent. These include black and white.
Although white symbolizes a sense of purity, it is also a color of mourning. Widows in India, unlike their Western counterparts, retreat into a dress code reserved for whites. And while black is considered ugly, bad and undesirable, it is much relied upon to ward off evil, as evidenced by the ceremony of putting a black dot on a newborn baby's face to ward off the evil eye.
In the early days, the "gulal" colors of Holi were made at home using flowers from the tree, otherwise known as the "Flame of the Forest". Once picked, the flowers were dried in the sun and ground into a fine dust. The powdered dust, once mixed with water, gave way to the most brilliant hue of saffron red. The saffron-red pigment and powdered colored talc called "aabir" were the mainstays of Holi festival celebrations, long before the manufactured colors of today.
Squirting colored water, throwing colored water balloons and hurling handfuls of powdered color at friends, family and even strangers is not considered inappropriate or offensive and is in fact part of the festival. Children and teenagers line up at strategic vantage points, armed with buckets of colored water and small water balloons, waiting to attack unassuming passers-by.
Each color signifies something special in the Indian psyche.
Red, for example, is a mark of marriage; brides in India most often wear red to their weddings as it symbolizes fertility, love, beauty and, most importantly, is the sign of a married woman. It is considered customary in Hinduism to wear red-Kumkum powder on the top of their foreheads. Most often considered the prerogative of a married woman, a red dot is worn between the eyebrows to symbolize a happy marriage.
Yellow is yet another vital color in the Indian psyche. Yellow is almost synonymous with turmeric, an ingredient of great importance for auspicious functions in all religions. It is perhaps most revered for its medicinal use since ancient times. Turmeric is still used today to treat inflammatory and digestive disorders.
Other colors that tease the Holi sky include blue, the color of Hinduism's revered god, Lord Krishna.
Green symbolizes new beginnings, harvest and fertility, and is also the sacred color of India's Muslim community. Saffron is often associated with Hinduism, piety and strength.
The colors of India, though diverse, speak the language of its people, from the red and ochre walls of village huts to the immaculate white of the Taj Mahal. The color, art and culture of the subcontinent have exceeded all expectations and continue to hold the country together in a spellbinding rendezvous of hues. Holi is a festival celebrated with great rejoicing and belief, where the country's citizens paint the sky and their surroundings in the magnificent colors of joy.
Today, with the pace of technological progress, the primary colors originally used have been supplemented by metallic hues and various unimaginable shades and blends. But the spirit of the festival remains the same. It crosses all classes, castes and religions and brings people together. Together, they celebrate the arrival of spring by filling their day and their lives with the colors of joy, prosperity, happiness and peace.
Where to find Holi powder?
Gulal powder has always played an important role in Hindu culture, and has always been used for religious purposes.
In addition to the Holi festival, the use of colored powders appears in other ceremonies, such as funerals. In this case, in some populations, a special ritual takes place when the deceased is a married man. The widow adorns herself with all the ornaments she possesses and takes leave of her husband, adorning him with all his jewels. Holding a small brass plate with colored powders, she lets the men taking part in the ceremony paint the deceased's face. This ritual is associated with the wedding ritual, in which the groom and bride anoint themselves with colored powders for four days before the wedding. This ointment is intended to prepare their bodies for married life. Beyond the religious sphere, Gulal powder consumption is spreading for a variety of uses.
Gulal powder consumption linked to the Holi festival has been taken out of the Hindu context and desacralized. Desacralization consists in distorting the original meaning of the cultural elements underlying the Holi ceremony, which has often suffered from disrespectful treatment. Indeed, in contemporary Western society, the Holi festival has become a consumer phenomenon, with no religious aspects. Throwing Gulal powder has become something cool and fashionable.
After the advent of synthetic dyes in the mid-19th century, the disappearance of trees in urban areas and the quest for higher profits led to the abandonment of natural colors.
So here are a few recommendations:
- Don't buy cheap colors available on the market as they are usually industrial dyes.
- Avoid shiny or glittery colors as they contain mica and glass powder.
- Try to prepare natural plant-based colors yourself as the plant-based colors available on the market are not certified.
- If you prepare a plant-based color, make sure it is properly dried.
- Avoid throwing color powder into the air, as the size of gulal particles is respirable, i.e. less than 10μm.
- Use natural liquid colors to play safely.
How to make Holi powder Create your own natural colors
To make dry powdered colors, mix the appropriate amount of food coloring with rice flour and water to make a colored paste, then let the paste dry; finally use a grinder to grind and obtain the powdered color powder. Add to the essential oil mixture and gently rub together. The combination of ingredients produces a powder with a soft, supple feel and good adherence to the skin.
To make colored water, soak 100 grams of Tesu flowers in a bucket of water overnight. In the morning, you'll notice that the water is a natural saffron color. You can also use henna leaves instead of Tesu flowers to obtain colored water.
To conclude:
The main reason why the festival of colors is now so well known outside the Asian continent is the birth of numerous remakes of Holi for commercial purposes. From the early 2000s, Europeans, Americans and Australians began to follow the trend of going to parties that involved throwing colored powders at each other, in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.
However, despite the festive aspect that is widely retained, let's keep in mind the sacred origin of the festival and the use of colors carrying a message of love and happiness.
Although the notion of chromotherapy, color therapy, was born in the 20th century, its principle goes back much further. Ancient China was already using it, not to mention ancient India, which associated traditional colors with the chakras (energy centers located in the human body).
Each color has therapeutic properties and virtues that have a major influence on our health. Just like the pigments people throw at each other: green for harmony, orange for optimism, blue for vitality and red for joy and love.
The principle of chromotherapy is to stimulate the body's self-healing capacities by using the energy of colors to heal a physical or psychological disorder.
The use of colors, particularly during the Holi festival, reminds us of all the benefits of chromotherapy, a principle we've combined with sacred geometry to help and accompany you in your daily life.
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Sources :
https://www.sensationalcolor.com/holi-festival-colors/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/holi-festival-colors-meaning-180958119/
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