Holi Festival of Colors: Celebrating Indian Traditions
Rain or shine, people across India and all over the world cheer, dance, and fill the air with colors during Holi the festival of colors.
Every Spring, India recognizes the season's arrival on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. This holiday lasts for about a week, marking the end of winter and celebrating the 'triumph of good over evil'.
Source: Kids National Geographic
Young and adults throw colored water and powder during the festival. Does it ever get too messy? It does! In India, the whole point of celebrating the holiday is to 'get messy' as colors fly through the air.
Everyone is a sport and game for anything, even if it means getting sticky and covered with bright colors from head to toe.
What is Holi Festival of Colors?
As per People, Holi derives its varied traditions from Indian mythology, particularly the legend of Hiranyakashipu - an ancient demon king.
He sought to kill his son Prahlada, a devout worshipper of Vishnu, the god of preservation, with the help of his sister Holika (where the word 'Holi' derives).
In an attempt to kill Prahlada, Holika wore a fireproof cloak to trick him into a fire. But the cloak flew off her and onto Prahlada, saving him, while she perished.
That did not end well.
Vishnu subsequently vanquished Hiranyakashipu, marking a victory of good over evil. Many regions commemorate this tale by lighting pyres on the eve of Holi.
The World's Biggest Holi!
While the origins of Holi trace back to South Asia, it is widely celebrated globally, including the United States. In fact, the world's biggest Holi in 2017 happened in Spanish Fork, Utah.
The wild Indian chalk festival is celebrated in many ways, mostly by throwing colors. There are also live music, dancing, yoga, cuisine, and many more social events.
During Holi, the crowd drenches and paints the town red, pink, yellow, and many more colors while chanting the famous phrase 'Bura na mano, Holi hai,' which means: Don't be upset, it's Holi!
Celebrating Holi - the Festival of Colors
If you're not fully into color showers, you can still celebrate the festival through other means, such as this artwork by Saher Beg.
A modern calligrapher and signage artist, Saher created this vibrant chalkboard sign with the famous Holi chant 'Holi Hai', using a table top chalkboard and VersaChalk liquid chalk markers.
Artwork by: @letteringbysaher
Saher's hand-drawn design captures the essence of the festival and showcases unique creativity and talent. The color choice in this piece is just exactly how the Holi revelers would use to bring out that festive spirit!
Chalkboard sign is the new trend in popular celebrations, and for good reasons. They offer a versatile and creative way to display messages and artwork, and they are super easy to create.
For Holi celebrations, a chalkboard sign is the perfect way to create a festive atmosphere and display traditional Holi greetings, like 'Happy Holi' or 'Holi Hai,' or get creative with colorful drawings and designs.
To achieve that bright and bold colors you see during a Holi festival, vibrant liquid chalk markers can make your Holi sign stand out even more.
That's a Wrap!
Holi festival of colors is an ancient Indian tradition that the whole world happily participates in. This is just one of the instances where one's culture brings together people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Who doesn't love a mix of colors, music, glee, and traditions?
If you're joining the celebration this year, make sure you don't get caught red-handed during one of those color sneak attacks!
