Holi, The Festival of Colors presents a wonderful
opportunity for art teachers to use bright colors in their art lessons.
Colored powders can be created to create powder paintings (similar to
sand paintings). Paintings can be created to illustrate the history of
the Indian holiday.
The Festival of Colours, (also called Holaka,
Phagwa, Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi) is a popular Hindu spring
festival observed around the world. Holi is a time when humans and
nature shake off the gloom of winter and rejoice in the colors of
spring. The holiday is primarily observed in India, Nepal, and
countries with large Hindu populations such as Suriname, Guyana, Fiji,
Mauritius and Trinidad. In West Bengal of India and Bangladesh, it is
known as Dolyatra (Doljatra) or Boshonto Utsav. The annual festival is
celebrated on the day of the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna.
That month is March in the anglo calendar. In 2009 Holi was celebrated
on March 11. In 2010 it will be celebrated February 28. The most
important day, Holi, is celebrated by Hindus throwing colored powder
and colored water at each other. The Holika Dahan (or Chhoti Holi) is
celebrated by lighting bonfires.
The legend that is commemorated by the festival
involves an evil king named Hiranyakashipu. He told his son, Prahlad,
that he was not to worship the god Vishnu but to worship him instead.
Prahlad worshipped Vishnu anyway. The king became angry and poisoned
Prahlad. However, the poison turned to nectar in Prahlad's mouth. The
king ordered Prahlad to be trampled by elephants yet remained unharmed.
He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and survived.
Finally, he told Prahlad's sister, Holika, to put Prahlad on a pyre
over a fire on her lap. It was believed that Holika would be immune
from the fire due to her magic shaw. Prahlad prayed to Vishnu (Now
called Lord Krishna) to keep him safe. Prahlad was unharmed by the
fire, while Holika burnt to death. The king declared that she would be
remembered from that point on Holi. Later Lord Vishnu took the form of
half-man and half-lion (Narasimha) and killed King Hiranyakashipu at
dusk on his porch steps by restraining him on his lap and mauling him
with his claws.
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| Lord Vishnu killing King Hiranyakashipu as a half-lion, half-man. (Artist unknown) |
There are alternate legends to the festival. In
one, a Hindu god called Lord Shiva was tempted by Madana, the goddess
of love, when she appeared in front of Shiva in the form of a beautiful
nymph. Shiva recognized her and became angry. He shot fire out of his
third eye and burnt her to a crisp. This is an additional reason for
the bonfire during the celebration.
Holi is also associated with the love between
Radha and Lord Krishna who was reincarnated from Vishnu. The reason why
Hindus smear powdered paint on their faces is because it is said that
Lord Krishna was jealous of Radha's darker complexion, so his mother
told him to smear colors on his face to change his appearance.
In most places across the world, the holiday is
celebrated over two days. In Vrindavan and Mathura, where Lord Krishna
grew up, the festival is celebrated for 16 days. The holiday represents
the loosening of social restrictions and norms. The holiday thus brings
together people of all castes, sexes, status and age. Calm and polite
behavior is thrown out the window as much merrymaking and wild behavior
takes place. If anyone becomes offended during the holiday, many Hindus
will say, "Bura na mano, Holi hai ("don't feel offended, it's Holi").
Indians celebrate Holi with a bonfire, throwing
colored powders and yelling. Note the colored powders in the
foreground. Bright colors make this an excellent holiday to create
bright works of art.
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| Prahlad praying to Vishnu while in the fire. (Artist unknown) |
On the evening of the first day of Holi, they hold
the public bonfire called Holika Dahan. Hindu boys bring firewood to
the bonfire and light it between 10:00 PM and the rising of the moon.
Everyone gathers around the fire and shout, curse, and to some, create
general mayhem. During Holi, colored water and powders are thrown or
applyed to faces and clothing. For those who celebrate the holiday over
five days, Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth
day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities.
Colors are traditionally made of Neem, Kumkum,
Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic
doctors. Recently, many of the colors are now made synthetically.
Traditional Indians are not happy with the artificial colors and
believe everything should be kept pure.
Because everyone loves a festival, Holi is
catching on with non-Hindus. In the UK and US, there are now many Holi
festivals celebrated at universities, Hindu temples, and community
centers. Because of the use of bright colors, the food, and letting go
of inhibitions, the holiday is a popular one among young people.
There a plenty of activities for teachers that
will address kinesthetic activities for children. One idea is to fill
balloons with colored water, rather than plain water, and have a water
balloon fight. Students can paint each others’ faces with lots of
bright colors. White T-shirts, can be colored with fabric paint in
splattered patterns. Hold a dance, and let the kids have colored
powders available to throw on one another (You don't want to do this in
your classroom!). Make sure everyone wears old clothing so there is no
worry about color stains. Check out this article for how to make the
Holi colors safely and naturally. Cook some traditional Holi dishes-
they will also add flavor to your colorful party. An important part of
this celebration is to wish people well with cards. Students can create
Holi cards by painting colorful scenes onto thick white folded paper.
Holi Art Lessons
Holi Resources
Holi Art
Holi Links
Holi Videos
Books on Holi
