Safe and Environmental Friendly Holi with Non-Toxic Colors and Better Gifting Options

 Holi is also known as the festival of colors is unquestionably the most fun-filled and energetic of all the Hindu festivals. It is celebrated with unadulterated joy, mirth, fun, play, music and dance, and, with loads of bright Colour Powder Beach Parties which mark the occasion of Holi. Every year after the full moon in early March, Holi is celebrated to mark a season of good harvest and to signify the fertility of the land. This is a time for spring harvest. The abundance of newly harvested crops at home and stores gives rise to a boisterous mood and huge merriment on Holi day. This festival is also known as Vasant Mahotsava.

Colour Powder Beach Parties

The main day of Holi is enjoyed by squirting colored water on everyone, dunking friends in colored water pool amidst teasing and laughter, and reveling with companions. Nothing is considered offensive on Holi day as it is a day of merriment and not fight. Colors play a vital role in Holi. Everybody dresses up in their white best so that it can be turned colorful by the end of the day.

The Colour Powder for Color Run is called 'gulal', and was made at home previously, from the flowers of the 'tesu' or 'palash' tree, also called 'the flame of the forest'. The powder extracted from these dried flowers when mixed with water makes a beautiful saffron-red dye. This pigment and also 'aabir', made from natural colored talc, are extensively used as Holi colors. Unlike the chemical colors of today, these natural colors were good for the skin. Now, most people are adopting safe and alternative organic colors and going back to the old days to avoid chemicals.

Colour Powder For Color Run

In tune with the mood of Holi Gulal Hindu Festival a new series of gifting options to be gifted with love on Holi day is to be seen in the market. These gifting options include beautiful floral arrangements, delicious sweets, reusable gift hampers, non-toxic natural color pouches, etc. Each gifting option is accompanied mostly with two packets of colorful gulal, one pichkari, and some balloons. The message of safe Holi is sent by making all these gulal packets organic and non-toxic and having an exclusive gift hamper for non-toxic natural color packets.

Holi Gulal Hindu Festival

Gift hampers of Gujjias, Namkeens, and Dry fruits provide a safe and healthy option to celebrate Holi with style and panache. Kid's Holi hamper has the latest pichkari in the style of a gun which will make the kids have more riotous fun on Holi day.

Holi - The Festival of Color and Togetherness

A custom or tradition is a long-established action or pattern of behavior in a community or group of people, often one that has been handed down from generation to generation. So is the case with Holi traditions and customs. It is a festival that has its roots in age-old beliefs and Indian mythology.

Holi Bonfires

Holika Dahan or the lighting of the bonfire takes place on the eve of Holi. The day is also popularly called Chhoti Holi or the Small Holi. On the Vasant Panchami day, almost 40 days before the Holi festival, a wooden log is kept in a central public place. People go on throwing twigs, dried leaves, branches of trees on to that log which gradually grows into a sizable heap. 

When it is time for Holika Dahan an effigy of Holika (made of combustible material) and Prahlad (a non-combustible effigy) is kept on the logs. On the night of Phalguna Purnima, it is set alight amidst the chanting of Rakshoghna Mantras of the Rig Veda.

Holi Milan or Baithaks

Many days or sometimes weeks before the actual Holi-day, people sit together and sing Holi songs in Holi Milan. These are musical soirees or gatherings involving traditional Holi music. The love story of Radha Krishna also features in these songs. Holi is the special type of Holi folk songs which are also sung in these musical get-to-gethers.

Regional Holi Celebrations

This festival of colors is played in most parts of the country. The Holi celebrations have adapted a different regional flavour in different parts of the country. Apart from the usual tradition of playing with color powder and water, Holi also involves fun-filled processions of folk songs and dances. There is a sense of abandonment and an underlying festive spirit to be seen in everyone.

color powder

Although Holi is mostly observed in north India, it's celebrated with a special enthusiasm at Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, and Barsnar. The reason for the same is the close association of these towns with Lord Krishna. Holi played by local Bhil tribesmen (of Madhya Pradesh), by rural Maharashtrians (where Holi is known as Rangpanchami) and the Holi festivities of Rajasthan(especially Jaisalmer) deserve a special mention.

Exchanging Gifts

There is a popular tradition of greeting each other with Holi gifts like Holi colour powder and traditional Indian sweets like Gujiya, Gazak, Mathri, Malpuas, and Dry fruits on Holi. This is a festival that encourages the feeling of universal brotherhood. There is no differentiation between friends and enemies on Holi. Everyone wishes every other person and plays Holi with him/her.

Bhang in Drinks and Sweets

Making and drinking bhang ki thandai is another very popular custom of Holi. This drink is made by mixing bhang with thandai (an Indian milkshake). Bhang is made from female cannabis or hemp plant, it can be understood to be a homemade drug. People also mix bhang in sweets and other preparations being offered to guests.

Playing With Colours on Holi

Abeer and Gulal are the names for Holi colors. These are the traditional and naturally made Holi colours. People also play with colored water using pichkaris and other squirt guns on Badi Holi or Dhulendi. This colored water is prepared using Tesu flowers.

The process involves gathering these flowers from trees, grinding them, and mixing them with water to produce orange-yellow colored water. Another traditional Holi object now rarely seen is a red powder filled in Lakh bowls which are broken to spread color on everyone. Though these days we have lost the touch with natural colors and synthetic or artificial colors are being increasingly used on Holi.

Festival With Colour Powder

These are some of the more popular Holi customs. Holi is a Festival With Colour Powder that speaks of trust, love, and goodwill. This is probably the reason that all its traditions are also representative of this feeling of brotherhood and the victory of good over evil.

This Holi, Smear Up The Faces With Organic Colours

Holi, the festival of colors, marks the beginning of spring and brings with it the colors of joy that represent the various shades of the spring season. But sadly, this beautiful festival is no more beautiful and has become a source of environmental degradation. It has been ruthlessly commercialized by chemical color manufacturing companies that produce harmful colors due to which the environment gets badly affected. Many social and environment-friendly groups have come up frequently to make people aware of the harmful effects of Holi colors. These groups encourage people to use organic colors and urge them to go back to traditional ways to enjoy the true essence of the festival. This article aims at making people realize the negative effects of Holi gulal on our health and environment.

Typically, there are three different types of Holi colors available in the market. These include Holi Paste Colours, Holi Dry Colours, and Holi Wet Colours, Holi Gulal. Let's take a look at the composition of these 3 different types of colors.

Holi Gulal

Harmful Chemicals in Holi Paste Colors

• Color - Chemical Content - Effects on Health
• Green - Copper Sulphate - Eye allergy and temporary blindness
• Black - Lead Oxide - Renal failure and learning disability
• Purple - Chromium Iodide - Bronchial asthma and other respiratory diseases
• Silver - Aluminium Bromide - Carcinogenic
• Red - Mercury Sulphide - Skin cancer

Harmful Chemicals in Holi Gulal

Holi gulal powder also called dry Holi colors are made out of a colorant and a base. The colorants used in making Holi gulal are toxic and the base is mostly asbestos or silica. Both components cause health-related problems. Colorants contain heavy metals, which can cause respiratory problems, dermatitis, eye allergy, and so on.

Holi gulal powder

Harmful Chemicals in Wet Holi Colours

Wet Holi colors are mostly made out of Gentian violet that causes skin discoloration and many other skin related diseases. Holi color sellers especially roadside sellers often sell colors that are meant only for industrial use. The degree of health issues these colors cause cannot be fathomed.

How These Colors Affect the Environment

These toxic Holi colors not only pose a threat to your health but affect our environment too. Frequent use of these colors can disturb the ecological balance. Holi colors are very difficult to decompose biologically as they are complex structured polymers. On washing away, these toxic colors enter rivers and soil and do not decompose easily causing environmental degradation.

The Safest Alternative

Taking into consideration the health and environmental hazards of chemical-based Holi colors, people must shift to organic Holi colors. These herbal colors can be easily made at home with natural ingredients. One can enjoy the Holi festival with organic colors without worrying about anything. Herbal gulal is not only a great alternative to chemical Holi colors but these colors also produce a healthy shining effect on the skin. Let's take a look at how easily you can make these Holi colors at home.

Color - Method of Preparation

• Red - Mix red sandalwood powder with sindoor or soak red hibiscus flowers overnight to get a wet red color
• Saffron - Crush dried tesu flowers to a powder, and then mix it with sandalwood powder.
• Yellow - Mix turmeric (Haldi) and gram flour (besan) to make yellow color
• Black - Boil gooseberries (fruits of amla) in an iron container for a few minutes and leave it for some time and later dilute it for further use.
• Green - Mix henna powder (Mehendi) with any suitable flour to get a lovely green shade.

So now that you have many different ways to extract natural and organic Holi colors and organic Gulal powder just go ahead and play safe Holi this season. You can also get these colors readily made for you at different online organic color stores. Just find the best suitable for you.

Various Holi Traditions and Colors

Holi traditions differ from the city in this land of multimedia cultures. Now, where have Holi traditions been kept alive as in Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon, and Barsana? These are the places where Holi traditions have handed down from generation to generation. Here Holi is not only played with Holi Gulal.

The most popular Holi tradition and an interesting one too is Lathmaar Holi in Barsana. Here the women of Barsana give their husbands a tough time when they come to play Holi, Women, overpower the men, hold them captive, beat them up and dress them up in female attire. If you are in Haryana, you get the liberty to beat your dewars ( brothers-in-law) and take sweet revenge

Holi Gulal

Holi Run Event

The Color Run is an event series and five-kilometer paint race, inspired by the Hindu festival of Holi, which is owned and operated by The Color Run LLC, a for-profit company. It takes place in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, Qatar, and the United The Arab Emirates.

Holi tradition is followed in a cultural manner in Shantiniketan in West Bengal, Vishwa Bharti University, founded by Rabindranath Tagore celebrates Holi with songs, dance, and flowers. It is known as the Basant Utsav or Spring Festival.

Hola Mohalla is another Holi tradition followed by the Sikh community. It is usually the day following Holi where people gather at Anandpur Sahib to display physical strength. Holi traditions are not only common in North India but in Manipur, in the north-east where people celebrate with a dance called the "Thabal Chongba".

        Holi Colour Powder

Holi Colors

The spirit of Holi lies in its colors. Holi colors powder as we all know is an integral part of the celebration. No holi celebration is complete without Holi colors.

The Holi colors signify energy, passion, friendship, and love. Metaphorically, the holi celebration and holi run is complete without Holi colors.

Holi Colour - A threat To Your Beautiful Eyes

It is Holi round the corner and one can already see a lot of colours floating in the air. It is the time of festivities, togetherness and joy but apart from adding colours to the festival, Holi gulal also carries with it the chemicals that it possesses. 

These chemicals in gulal powder can actually blur the entire flavour of the Festival with colour powder, if the Holi colours enter our sensitive eyes.

Festival with Colour Powder

Eyes being one of the most susceptible parts of our body can severely get affected due to the chemicals present in an artificial Holi gulal powder. For instance, the artificial green gulal is used in Holi is derived from copper sulphate.

If this chemical makes entry into your beautiful eyes, it can cause eye allergy, temporary blindness and conjunctivitis ( pink eye ). Let us discuss these eye allergies in the details.

Holi gulal powder

Eye Allergy

There is a typical kind of eye allergy that one experience after playing the Holi. It is nothing but after-effects of playing Holi with the chemicals based colours. Eye allergy symptoms include redness of the eye, itching, tearing, burning, stinging, and watery discharge. Eyelids experience the burning sensations and one might feel blurred vision too. The effect of the Holi gulal lingers even after you are done with playing the Holi festival. The longer it remains in the eyes. Once the colour enters your eyes, you can quickly wash it off with cold water. This will get the chemical particles out of your eyes can be saved.

Chemicals in Holi Gulal

Unfortunately, most of the synthetic Holi Gulal harmful chemicals these days. These chemicals include heavy metals, acids, alkalis and powdered glass. Black Holi color contains a lead oxide, green gulal contains copper sulphate, while red Holi color contains mercury sulphate.

All these chemicals are highly toxic to human health and can cause skin allergies, eye irritation, cancer, temporary blindness and much more. Many synthetic Holi gulal is made with the base of asbestos talc, chalk powder or silica. Asbestos is a type of human carcinogen which gets accumulated in the body tissue and can cause cancer.

The watercolours are used in a Holi which is made with an alkaline base that can cause severe injuries. If these Holi colours enter the eyes, it can be lead to the loss of vision.

Many watercolours have an alkaline base capable of causing severe injuries. If it enters the eyes, then it can pose a great danger to the vision.

Temporary Blindness

Playing Holi synthetic green gulal powder can cause temporary blindness if the colour enters to your eyes. Temporary blindness or fleeting blindness is a sudden loss of vision or blurred vision for them some time. A grey patch comes before the retina thereby blocking the sight. Temporary blindness due to gulal powder can last for a few minutes, few hours or can be even prolonged to a lifetime. It is a serious medical condition and should not be ignored or there should be no delay in the treatment as it can lead to permanent loss of sight. Apart from a Holi gulal, sprays or mace can cause the temporary blindness to the eyes. The quick way to get rid of these conditions is to wash off your eyes with cold water. Washing it quickly will protect you against the losing sight. 

A Natural Solution

The best way to avoid these synthetic Holi colour powder for a festival is to for natural Holi gulal that are made out of naturally extracted ingredients like flowers, herbs, leaves, and so on.

These natural and organic colours do not pose any threat to human health and are eco-friendly too. These natural Holi colours will never fade away the charm of the festival and will be kept you protected against all the sort of health dangers.

You can easily find the natural Holi gulal at the various online stores and if you have enough time, you can even prepare these colours at home and enjoy the festival with no worries at all.

So HAPPY HOLI to all and keep the safety at the priority.