Welcoming the colours of spring

MANISHA GUTMAN

Holi celebrates the coming of spring, bringing with it joy and new life. Here are some things you need to know about this festival. As winter bids goodbye and spring shows us its first blossoms, Holi arrives, an occasion to celebrate the coming of spring. Traditionally, people used natural colours made out of flowers and leaves which they smeared on each other during Holi.

Some of these flowers had medicinal properties and along with the water they also helped people to cool their bodies in the increasing heat! How did you celebrate Holi this year? Here are some unique ideas that you need to know to make sure that your Holi celebrations are both safe for you and your environment.

Make your own natural colours using waste flowers

So many temples and hotels in India use tons of flowers on a daily basis.

These flowers when dried and powdered give you lovely coloured powders that can be used to play Holi.

Dr Madhumita Puri of the Society for Child Development, Delhi taught her challenged children to do this on a professional basis and helps the young adults to even earn out of this activity!

Learn about the trees that blossom in spring

Holi is a time when you will start noticing the first few blossoms. Take a look around you and see, which are the trees that have begun to bloom? Do you think some of these flowers can also be used for making colour? What are their medicinal properties?

Pune Tree Watch, a group of citizens in Pune has made a poster about trees that blossom during Holi. Can you make one too?

The Clean India website also gives you recipes to make your own colours at home. The Hindu