Holi : Dresses For The Festival of Colours

 Holi Re !!! -Festival of Colours

Holi is the Spring festival that is  celebrated with coloured powder.  More importantly ,it signals the end of long & harsh winter months. It is celebrated across India, predominantly in  the States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi,Uttarakhand & West Bengal. Friends & family do not stop with gently applying  dry coloured powder on the cheek of the other person. In other words, coloured powder &/or coloured water is sprayed on the hair and the clothes of each other. Hence, in general, everyone wears white clothes so that the Holi  colour shows on the dress.  It is  fun & boisterous. It is a custom & a tradition.

Come & enjoy Holi in India.

Happy Holi 

The fun of getting drenched in coloured waters is the best part of Holi. However,to be caught unawares with a water balloon breaking on your back is definitely not a happy one.People generally throw water balloons behind your back .For instance, for the first timers, you obviously look around to vent out your frustration and anger at the offender until you remind yourself that the festival of colors “Holi” is here. Or as the popular saying goes “Bura na mano Holi  Hai” (Don’t take it to heart. It is Holi.).

In other words, applying or spraying colour powder/water  to one another is  the essence of  the spring festival and this is what makes Holi a fun festival for the young & old. Further, children, adults and even elderly people play with colored powder, water balloons and water guns, popularly called pichkaaris. In other words ,they throw coloured powder & colored water on each other in a playful manner. In addition, everyone is in a joyous mood and they dance to the Dhol(drums).People in the villages come out on the streets and participate in the fun. Apart form the colours, they sing & dance & have traditional sweets.It is for free.

There is a communal spirit in all the fun .

  There are several Hindi film songs in Bolllywood cinema that captures the spirit of the festival. Rang Barse Bheege Chunarwali  (meaning -The scarf girl is drenched in water colours) is one such iconic song from the Hindi movie “Silsila”. Amitabh Bachan, the Bollywood superstar captivated the spirit of Holi in that song .

Film Parties

Further,  the legendry actor, Mr. Raj Kapoor used to host the holi parties in his RK Film Studios & invite the movie fraternity to participate in the celebrations.  Stars would immerse themselves in the pool of coloured water in his RK Studio.Industrialists  & several film stars host Holi film parties at their residences.This is a great way to connect with old friends & bring in new acquaintances.

Why is Holi celebrated?

Every year, the celebrations start off on the evening of Purnima (the full moon) that comes in month of ‘Phalguna’.As a matter of fact ,the first day is known as Holika Dahan, or Choti Holi. For instance,  a large bonfire is lit to ward off evil spirits. The practice is to pray for the prosperity of everyone.

The Story of Holika Dahan

Legend has it that once a powerful but wicked king Hiranyakashipu saw himself above the Lord. He, along with his sister Holika, conspired to kill his son Prahlad who was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. However, Lord Vishnu chose to manifest himself as Narasimha (half lion ,half man ) to kill the King (otherwise immortal) and his sister.

The Story of Radha and Krishna

Radha & Lord Krishna playing Holi in Mathura & Vrindavan  is a celebration of  the divine love. The beautiful image of Krishna playing holi with Radha and other gopis(friends)  is a scene  that has been depicted in several miniature paintings .The second day of Holi is popularly called Dhulandi or Rangwali Holi.

Best Places to Play Holi in India- Lathmar Holi

However, Holi is best celebrated in the streets of India’s villages and towns.People come out on drives and enjoy playing with colours with gay abandon.Further, Barsana and Nandgaon villages in Uttar Pradesh celebrate Lathmar Holi where women are seen beating up men with laths or sticks in a playfum manner.In another way of celebrations , people in West Bengal celebrate spring-inspired Holi in the form of Dol Jatra 

In other words, this is in honour of Radha & Krishna.

 Special Sweets  & Drinks for Holi – Delicious Gujiyas

 

Finally, can you already smell the festivity (read gujiyas) in the air?  In other words, this half-moon shaped, syrupy delicacy with the filling of khoya, raisins and other dried fruits is specially made during Holi. It melts in your mouth so effortlessly.As a matter of fact, gujiyas are prepared at home .It is a

In addition, customary drinks like thandai and baang(spiced drink) are also popular in Holi along with other delicacies such as dahi balle.They are lentil dumplings soaked in yogurt with chutneys made of corainder & a sweet chutney made of brown sugar & tamrind.

Holi Shopping

If you haven’t decided yet where to shop for all the festival paraphernalia, we have got you covered.

Cartoon Character-inspired Pichkaaris

For example, water  guns (pichkaaris), water balloons, gulaal, natural and organic colors are all the props required for a Holi party.

You may like to pick one of those pumps with colorful water tanks for your little ones. Water sprays such as  Iron Man,  Spiderman, Hulk, Ben 10, Mickey Mouse, Barbie, and Disney Frozen,  are popular with children.

Best Markets for Holi Shopping

Sadar Bazaar, Chandni Chowk, Dilli Haat, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar are some of the prominent markets for Holi shopping in Delhi.

All the markets have hot jalebis, dahi balla, samosas,gujiyas & lassi on offer.  special sweet made during Holi.

Herbal Colors

There is a lot of talk about celebrating this festival with chemical-free herbal colors. Let us be conscious about the environment

Gulaal is usually prepared with chemicals like lead oxide, copper sulphate, aluminium bromide and mercury sulphite. They help in producing various types of colour shades such as black, gold, silver and magenta.As we are aware, they create a lot of problems for the skin.

Natural Colours

Further, herbal colours can replace chemical colours

Make Holi colours at home . For instance, if you search in the internet, you can find several ways to use, turmeric, beetroot, cornflour & spinach etc to make the colours.

 Safety Tips for Holi 

Make sure children are safe & do not skid & fall in the water.

Taking  care of Hair & Skin

Apply a moisturiser with an SPF of 20 & above.

Apply Coconut oil to protect your hair from coloured water & coloured powders.

 Trendy Dresses & Outfits

White kurtis, salwar kameez, shirts, dhotis are worn on this day. The colours are white or light cream colours. This is because, the pink, the red & all other  Holi colours will reflect on the white well. People normally wear old clothes that can be thrown away.

Shopkhoj Wishes its readers a HAPPY HOLI

Read our blog on Best Ethnic Dresses for Holi