What is Holi Festival of Colors? What do you drink on Holi?

The Holi Festival of Colors has unexpectedly gained popularity in Moscow. Participants in the festival of colors sprinkle each other with colorful spices and bright colors Holi, invented, like the holiday itself, by cheerful Hindus. In Moscow, the number of fans of the Holi festival is growing year by year, who gather in a designated place, agreed with the authorities, listen to music (the festival is also considered a musical one), have fun and return home, amusing everyone they meet with their festival appearance.

In March, the Hindu festival of spring and colors - Holi - took place in INDIA.
There are several versions of the origin of this holiday in different states of India.
According to one of them, the god Shiva burned Kama with his gaze. In the northern part of India, legends of Krishna and his pastimes with the gopis are referred to. But most often they remember the Hindu myth about Vishnu and his opponent, the demoness Holika, whose name formed the name of the holiday.

Sorry, but you need to know this:

On Sunday June 28, 2015, most of the world's largest news agencies reported an explosion that occurred the day before on the island of Taiwan, which somehow associated with spraying paint in front of the stage during a concert at a water amusement park. There was a festival called "Color Play Asia" - very similar to Holi. Type color play asia on youtube.com - you will see scary footage. More than 500 casualties were reported in the explosion and fire.

Holi festivals 2018 in Moscow:

Organizers The date and time of the festival are often changed. It's very tiring.

The next festival is taking place (planned) soon
Information in the VKontakte group as of July 12, 2018:

***
Previously, the Iris Festival of Colors was held on September 3, at the end of June, and before that on Saturday, June 3, 2017 on the territory of the KANT Sports Complex. Address: Nagornaya metro station, Elektrolitny proezd, building 7, building 2. Starts at 13:00, admission is free. Afterwards it took place in Northern Tushino.

Official site rusholi.ru reports: the organizer of the HOLI Festival of Colors is the youth project “Flashmob MSK”. For more than three years, “Flashmob MSK” has been holding mass entertainment activities on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region. VKontakte group https://vk.com/rusholi

The program of the festival of colors is approximately as follows:

On the appointed day, participants gather in the park in a relatively isolated area (after all, there are other visitors in the parks at the same time), purchase paints in 100-gram bags for 150 rubles.
- A concert of live music begins.

Participants of the festival of colors:
- At the leader’s command and without a command, everyone sprinkles paint on each other (powder consistency)
- They eat food purchased at the festival site and drink water (bringing it with you is prohibited according to the rules, but it depends on what happens)
- They take pictures themselves (killing their tablets and mobile phones with dust) and pose for staff photographers
- dancing and having fun.

It is forbidden to bring your own paint to this “war” - the organizers are responsible for its composition. They also make sure that there is no glass bottles for security.

In our opinion, this specific event is aimed at young people who are prone to loud music, cuddling, violating mother’s prohibitions and “screaming at the party.” And of course, “selfies” and photographs - the organizers specially hire professional photographers and create photo areas.

VKontakte group of the Holi festival: https://vk.com/rusholi

Photo: Colors of the festival

In 2015 the festival was held at least twice in Moscow parks- in “Izmailovsky” and “Druzhba”, and the festival of colors travels throughout Russia - events have been announced and groups have been created on social media. networks for the cities of Voronezh, Volgograd, Ufa, Perm, Kursk, Lipetsk and even Belarusian Minsk.
July 12, 2015 Holi Festival of Colors was held in Friendship Park in the north of Moscow. Friendship Park is located about 200 meters from the Rechnoy Vokzal metro station.
Organizers - official website www.color-fest.ru Festival time from 12 to 19 o'clock, admission is free. Group https://vk.com/colorfest

Holi is one of the brightest and most colorful holidays in the world and symbolizes the onset of spring and the beginning of the New Year according to the Indian calendar. Holi is also called the Festival of Colors for its variegation and richness of color.

A popular Indian festival takes place on the full moon day and is called Phalgun Purnima in India. The date of Holi is variable and usually falls at the end of February - March and lasts for several days. In 2018, Holi falls on March 2-3.

This is one of oldest holidays, it is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and described in detail in the Vedas ( scriptures), in the Narada Purana and other sacred texts of Hinduism. An inscription on a stone made 300 BC also testifies to its implementation.

The emergence of Holi was preceded by several legends.

Legends

According to one legend, the name Holi comes from the name of the beautiful and kind Holika. The evil king received immortality as a gift from one of the gods, imagined himself to be a god and ordered all his subjects to worship only him. But the king’s son did not recognize the power of his father and continued to pray to the true God.

The young prince was supported by his aunt, the beautiful Holika. The king was angry and ordered his sister and son to be burned at the stake. The prince prayed to God to save his beloved aunt. And God sent him a multi-colored scarf - a sacred gift from all the gods, which was supposed to protect her from fire.

When Holika was tied to a post, the prince came up to her and covered her with a colorful scarf, and he sat down next to her. They lit a fire, and suddenly a gust of wind tore off Holika’s life-saving scarf and covered the boy with it. The prince tried to save his beloved aunt, but the fire had already engulfed her body, and her eyes looked lovingly at her nephew.

This is how Holika died. The fire did not touch the prince, but penetrated deeply into his soul, and the boy believed in God even stronger. God decided to punish the king and pierced his cold heart with lightning. Thus, evil was punished and justice triumphed.

That is why on Holi, the inhabitants of northern India smear each other with colors of the sacred Holika veil, as a symbol of the salvation of the prince, and pour water on each other, protecting everyone from evil forces, helping the gods restore justice.

According to another legend, the name Holi comes from the name of the demoness Holika. Prahlada, the son of the evil king Hiranyakasipu, worshiped the god Vishnu, and nothing could dissuade him from this. Then the king’s sister, the demoness Holika, who was believed to not burn in fire, persuaded Prahlada to go to the fire in the name of God. To everyone's amazement, Holika was burnt, and Prahlada, saved by Vishnu, emerged unharmed. Therefore, on the first day of the holiday, bonfires are lit and an effigy of an evil witch is burned on it.

Holi is also associated with the legend of how Shiva incinerated the god of love Kama with his third eye, who was trying to bring him out of meditation. After this, Kama became incorporeal, but at the request of Shiva’s wife Parvati and Kama’s wife, goddess Rati, Shiva returned Kama’s body for three months a year. When Kama gains a body, everything around blossoms, and happy people celebrate the holiday of love.

Traditions

Holi is one of the most important festivals in India and is celebrated throughout the country. The holiday is very colorful and diverse, just like India itself.

Preparations for Holi begin a couple of weeks before the holiday. During this period, small celebrations are held in the villages - Small Holi, during which ritual games, holiday concerts, money is being collected and material is being prepared for a big celebration.

In particular, they collect firewood, brushwood, rags, and so on for the festive bonfire. Bonfires are lit on the evening of Holi - people believe that fire helps drive away the cold and evil spirits remaining after winter.

Each region of the country has its own peculiarities of celebrating Holi, and even when asked which of the many gods the holiday is primarily dedicated to, each gives its own answer.

In the southern part of the country in festive events mostly young people participate. Older generation sits at home or goes to visit, and mothers prepare gifts, flowers and sweets for their children, and give them in the morning - on New Year's Day.

In the central part of India, small lights are always lit on the roofs of buildings and orange flags are hung as a symbol of fire, not forgetting that “Holi” means “burning”.

Holi is celebrated especially magnificently in northern India. They hang everywhere colorful decorations, there are especially many of them in purple, white, red, pink shades.

Before Holi, the walls of buildings are painted in bright colors and the entire space is decorated with flowers. People are massively purchasing special water sprinklers and multi-colored coloring powders - gulal, which are made from finely ground corn flour and colored red, green, pink and yellow. Although, true admirers of traditions make powders and water cannons by hand.

Holi begins at night full moon- a fire is lit to burn a huge effigy or decorated tree, symbolizing the destruction of the wicked Holika, the holiday was named after her. There is a tradition of driving cattle through the fire and walking on coals. People believe that the ash from the Holi bonfire brings good luck.

Holi is celebrated with colorful parades accompanied by folk songs, dances and general fun. Participants shower each other with bright coloring powders and douse each other with water. The festival includes parkour and freerunning competitions, natural paint fights and a water battle. Holi is celebrated by everyone without distinction between caste, class, age or gender.

Thousands of Holi lovers gather these days in the homeland of Krishna in the cities of Vrindavan and Mathura. The huge temple steps turn into unique places for dancing and fun, where celebrations take place for several days in a row.

Days of mutual visits are planned from the third to the fifth day - traditional feasts are held. Holi celebrations are never complete without the traditional drink - thandaya with bhang, which contains milk or dairy products, as well as hemp juice or leaves.

Holi is very popular not only in India, but also in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and in countries with large Hindu diasporas such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, UK, USA, Mauritius and Fiji.

The material was prepared based on open sources

", we can assume that in this country there are other holidays unusual for Europeans. And we will not be mistaken. Today, on the eve of the Indian New Year, we will talk about such a holiday as. It is celebrated, perhaps, on a slightly smaller scale than the holiday of Fire, but nevertheless, it is very, very popular both in India and abroad.By the way, this holiday is also Bengali.

The festival of colors in India occurs approximately six months after the festival of fire. That is, we can assume that these holidays are based on some natural patterns (such as European and Beltane). However, now it is not yet possible to find the roots of these two almost symmetrical holidays. Although from those times many elements of primitive orgies in honor of deities and powers of fertility remained in the festival of colors, elements close to the holidays different nations peace. So, the roots are unknown, but you can find out many legends associated with the festival of colors.

As we have already said, the festival of colors in India takes place all over the world, giving people - residents and immigrants from India - freedom and emancipation. The holiday has existed for more than two thousand years. It is held over two days around the new moon, in late February - early March. Almost all Indian holidays are, in one way or another, associated with the phases lunar cycle. And this particular holiday is associated with the end of winter. And its main action is spraying each other with various paints and tinted water, which include, among other things, medicinal herbs. By the way, in this way the festival of colors in India is similar to Songokran - New Year in Thailand - a festival of water and white talc.

This interesting festival of colors has its own name: Holi holiday.

Previously, Holi was called Holika— that was the name of the legendary sister of the demon king, invulnerable to fire. The king of demons himself (Holika’s brother) received invulnerability as a gift from Brahma - he could not be killed “neither day nor night, neither in the house nor outside it, neither on earth nor in heaven, neither by man nor by animal.” As a result, he became so proud that he imagined himself to be the master of the Universe.

However, the son of the demon king Prahlad honored Vishnu, for which his father was angry with him and even made several unsuccessful attempts to kill him. Finally, he ordered his sister Holika to make Prahlad sit on her lap and climb onto the fire with him. The fire should not have harmed Holika, but Prahlad began to ask Vishnu for help and it turned out that it was the evil Holika that burned to the ground. Cool remained alive, and spent his entire life chanting Vishnu, the god of truth and laws.

According to another legend, young Krishna was jealous light color Radha’s face, since he himself was quite dark (in drawings he is depicted generally blue - why?). Krishna asked his mother Yashoda the reason for his dark complexion, in response she jokingly suggested that he paint Radha's face any color he wanted. Krishna did just that. His wife probably responded in kind. And now images of Krishna and his wife Radha are taken out into the street and painted with multi-colored powder - and at the same time, people paint each other.

In addition, the Holi holiday is a reminder of how Shiva incinerated the god of love Kama with his third eye, who tried to bring him out of meditation, after which Kama remained disembodied. But at the request of Shiva’s wife Parvati and Kama’s wife, goddess Rati (I wonder why they asked for the return physical body... oh, I see, 🙂) Shiva returned Kama’s body for 3 months a year. When Kama gains a body, everything around blossoms and happy people celebrate the most fun party love.

By the way, as we have already said, the paints contain a variety of medicinal herbs. Why? It's very simple: the weather in spring, even in India, is changeable, so colds and other similar diseases. Therefore, the festive showering of medicinal herbal powders (neem, kumkum, haldi, bilva and others) is recommended by the sacred healers of Ayurveda.

The Holi holiday is also often associated with the name of Krishna and his games with the shepherdesses, which are reflected in the earthly world. Flirting young man and girls during the Holi holiday are a favorite theme for dance (you can read more about Indian dance in the article “The Magic of Indian Dance”). The young man lures the girl out, distracts her, she stares at something, and at that moment he smears her with colored powder or pours tinted water over her. The girl is offended, he asks for forgiveness (a characteristic gesture is to grab his earlobes). She forgives him and also pours colored water on him in response. A rare opportunity for young people given the general strictness of Indian morals.

On the evening of Holi, bonfires are lit and local celebrities sing and dance to entertain the crowd. Folk storytellers come to the bonfires, telling about the great exploits of Vishnu flying on the huge bird Garuda - the snake destroyer. Everything is the same as ours, however. Only we have fewer bonfires and no storytellers. Oh yes, in addition, the festival of colors is also dedicated to the god of love Kamadeva, whose bow, according to traditional Hindu iconography, is made of sugar cane, arrows are made of flower stems, and the bowstring consists of a swarm of buzzing bees.

And if on Diwali (the festival of fire in India) tons of sweets are eaten, then on Holi everyone gets drunk with bhang - a drink that contains either juice or hemp leaves and dairy products. Varieties of bhang: bhang lassi - yogurt with hemp leaf juice, thandai lassi - a mixture of milk, sugar, spices, almonds and, of course, hemp leaves (juice).

On the night before the second day of the holiday, a huge bonfire is lit on which Holika is burned. The next morning, people go out into the street, and the fun begins - everyone pours colored water on each other in red, green, yellow, blue and black and throws colored powders. Previously, the necessary devices and materials - dyes, bamboo sprinklers, powders - were made independently, but now they can be bought in stores. It is not customary to take offense at those who spilled your suit on this day, so prim and tidy people avoid going out at all (by the way, the streets are also brightly decorated with flowers and elegant fabrics).

Accordingly, it is on this holiday that people try to dress as simply as possible, and not to shine with outfits and jewelry, because the main decoration at the festival is happy multi-colored smiles and a very colorful “outfit.” The more on the participant colorful paint, the higher the blessing that the gods bestow upon him.

The festival of Holi is associated with the veneration of a tree called "tulsi", especially the one on which red flowers grow - the color of fire. It is almost leafless, and the flowers are large, a bit like magnolia. They are collected, dried and ground into powder. And then, on the day of the holiday, they paint their hands and faces with such diluted paint.

So, the festival of colors in India includes many legends of its origin. It is very likely that these legends arose in different tribes in relation to their own holidays. And then, when the tribes were united into a state, the holidays were united. While various legends remained a reminder of those times when there was no unity.

Thus, the festival of colors in India is not only a beautiful holiday, but also a symbol of uniting people.

The Holi holiday took place in Moscow. This celebration came to us from India, where it has been celebrated since ancient times. In Indian culture this is pagan holiday, the exact version of the origin of which has not yet been established. The most ancient history Holi celebrations - the myth of how Kama was burnt by one glance of Shiva. Other versions tell of Krishna and his pastimes with his beloved.

In Russia, the celebration was held for the first time in 2013 in the Izmailovo Kremlin. Despite pagan roots, Muscovites Indian celebration I liked it. It symbolizes the beginning of spring and is filled bright colors paints Let’s look at the colors below.

Holi festival of colors

The festival of colors came to us from India. This is a holiday in honor of the birth of a new life, full of fun and music. Traditionally, to celebrate the holiday in India they used natural powders from improvised means. For example, turmeric is a seasoning yellow color. Modern production allows you to make more innovative dyes for the festival.

Moscow Holi organizers are trying to preserve some traditions, such as the colors used.

Traditionally, three types of paints are used:

There is not a single person who has not heard of finger paints. It is worth noting that the production of these paints is associated with the children's goods industry, so they are non-toxic. They are made on the basis of glycerin or glue with the addition of pigments.

For those who decided to participate in the Holi festival using gouache finger paints Note that the pigment content in them is too high, which means they are difficult to wash off.

Among the oldest Russian manufacturers paints, including finger paints, we can highlight “GAMMA”, which has been on the market since 1898.

Colors of Holi in India

These paints began to be called that way later. And initially these were plant powders of different colors that were used in celebration Indian holiday Phagwah or Holi.

The composition of Indian-made Holi paint is entirely vegetable. Color is added using natural dye. All plants are first dried and then crushed to a powder state.

Plant ingredients for making paint consist of:

This short list plants for paint production. Most of them are used for powder pigmentation in different colors, and corn starch is most often used as a powder paint base

Holi dye dissolves well in water. The brightness of the future color depends on the ratio of coloring ingredients and water.

Holi is a dry type of paint. It is very light, which allows it to be used at festive events; the paint can be blown from the palm of your hand or thrown up, forming a colored cloud.

A substitute for Holi at home is powdered crayons.

Indian producers of Holi

Since Holi was created in India, there are quite a few Indian manufacturers of this type of paint. Let's talk about the most popular ones.

ORION TRADERS is a company founded in 1960 in the state of Maharashtra. The main activity of the company is the production of spices and food additives. Both are part of Holi.

A neighbor in territorial location to the previous company APEE CHEM DYES is a manufacturer mainly specializing in chemical dyes. The company has been operating since 1974. The company has its own laboratory and research center, which allows them to regularly expand production.

Another major manufacturer of natural Holi colors is the young Indian company THE UNITY COLORS, created in 2010 in the central state of India - Madhya Pradesh. The directors and founders of the company are Angel Joseph and Vipul Shukla. The company name translated means the color of unity, which is symbolic of the Holi holiday. The production of colored powders is the main activity of the company. The company supplies its products all over the world. The main volume is supplied to Europe and Central America.

One of the largest Holi manufacturers, R.B. Trading Company, located on the outskirts of Hathras city. The company's production area is more than 50,000 square meters. meters. It is an NBRI certified organization. The company controls the quality of its products using its own laboratories.

Holi in Russia

All certificates issued by Rosstat for paint equate it to cosmetic powder and compact products.

The Iris company produces an analogue of Holi for the Russian festivals of colors. This powder is no longer as natural as tradition implies, but according to the manufacturer, it is washed off and washed off the first time, unlike herbal ingredients Holi. Nevertheless, Iris claims that the paint they produce is environmentally friendly and harmless to health. The composition of the paint is kept secret.

“Univer Club” did not hide the composition of its paint - crushed cereal base, mineral additive and food coloring. The paint produced by this company has been certified by Rosstat.

Holi production in Russia is quite young, so little is known about the companies yet. But given the popularity of color holidays in all regions of our country, the development of powder production natural paint will improve.

Festival of colors Holi

In any case, associations with colored powder are holidays, shows, vivid impressions. Therefore, Holi is used in different areas, but for a single purpose.

• festivals of colors (they have been mentioned many times; without Holi, the festival cannot take place);
• theatrical performances (an enchanting and colorful performance will not leave its audience indifferent);
• photo sessions (you can diversify your photos with the help of Holi, and children’s photos will be bright and cheerful);
• children's parties (the delight of children who can get dirty in different colors and make a mess of a friend with impunity);
• body art (holi dissolves well in water and has a natural base, which can serve for beautiful drawing on the body, henna has already become a pioneer in this area).

Alternative paints

The fact is that today there are no alternative paints available. natural basis does not exist. With help chemical industry You can create an analogue, but its use at public events will be impossible.

Festivals mean being present different people. Among them are children, pregnant women, and allergy sufferers. Accordingly, paint based chemical composition either cannot be used or will limit attendance at the event.

Indian Holi paint

Natural powder paint is an invention of the indigenous people of India. But the popularity of its use and ease of composition allows Holi to be produced in all countries of the world.

The only difference in production is the dye. India and China mainly use plant pigments as dyes, which is why they remain leaders in the production of Holi. Other countries specialize in food coloring, which rarely differ in their natural origin. But the paint base is always natural. Most often it is corn starch.

The effects of paint on human health

Holi is made mainly from food bases. Separately, you can cook food from them. If a person is initially healthy, then the paint will not cause him any harm.

Quantity paint and varnish materials, shipping today at construction market, is so great that, if you are not an expert in this field, you can very easily get confused in this abundance. On the one hand, you can always turn to a specialist for help, on the other hand, you have the opportunity to figure it out at least in some of them.

Drawing is very exciting and at the same time useful activity for children of different ages, it allows you to develop fine motor skills their hands, creative thinking, children's fantasy and imagination. The industry that produces varnishes and paints produces paints, with their help children can engage in creativity, which over time can develop into a profession.

Holi is an annual, one of the most popular Hindu spring festivals, many call it the Festival of Colors, which is held in India. The colorful holiday is celebrated at the end of February - beginning of March and lasts two days. Holi is a festival of spring, filled with the light of spring and a rich variety of colors.

Holi is generally celebrated on the full moon, called Phalgun Purnima in Hindi. People of all ages directly take part in the celebration of the Festival of Colors. Spring, when the weather presents its vagaries, even in India it is changeable and at this time such ailments as colds, acute respiratory infections and ARVI spread. Therefore, the festive showering of powders from medicinal herbs, such as neem, kumkum, haldi, bilva and others, have a positive effect on the body. Even the sacred healers of Ayurveda recommend everyone to attend the Festival of Colors.

In fact, there are many legends associated with the origin of the holiday. The most popular one is that the Holi holiday originated from the name of the demoness Holika. The son of the evil king Prahlad, worshiped Vishnu, and nothing could dissuade him. Then the king's sister, Holika, who does not burn in fire, persuaded him to go to the fire in the name of God. To everyone's surprise, Holika was burned, but Prahlada came out unharmed. In memory of these events, an effigy of Holika is burned on the eve of Holi. It is this holiday that the Slavs consider to be related to Maslenitsa.

All two days you can count on receiving guests and go on a visit yourself, where you will definitely be treated to sweet dishes made from fruits, milk and sugar. Girls are given bright gifts and outfits. The next morning, tens of millions of Indians will throw handfuls of colored powder into the air - this symbolizes the passing of the worries of the past year and new hopes for a fertile harvest. It’s as if all the streets are covered with rainbow dust, easily flying off the wheels of cars and settling on clothes with every step. This colored dust is everywhere, both on the steps of temples and on the surface of reservoirs. There is so much of it that after a short period of time it becomes difficult to breathe.

The joyful festival of Holi brings together all the people of India. And it doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, an official or a commoner, everyone feels that they are a part of a single whole. Next, everyone begins to douse themselves with water tinted with colored powder, six bright colors– red, green, blue, fire, yellow and silver. They pour on everything that can move and move; on the street you can see crazy-colored cows or dogs in incredible colors. Everything is painted as if painted by drunken avant-garde artists.

You cannot yawn on Holi; if someone sees you, then that person is allowed to bathe in a dirty puddle. And, as a rule, they are not offended by this, because everyone is already pumped up with the traditional festive hemp drink Bhang, which allows Indians to forget about their difficult life and truly enjoy the Festival of Colors. It is not permissible to express your anger and resentment on Holi; all colors are washed off very well. And for those tourists who want to take part in the holiday, it is better to wear something worse and leave all their valuables in the room. As a rule, tourists become easy prey for pickpockets and petty thieves, because checking your pockets in a crowd costs nothing.

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