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Wed Mar 11, 09 02:25 AM
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Holi – the festival of color is marked as the opening festival in Hindu calendar, falls on the full moon day in the month of PHALGUN. People enjoy themselves playing with several colours and celebrate the whole day with much pump and gaiety.
Originally Holi was regarded to be the festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land. There are several legends and stories behind Holi. A popular legend says that Holi is remembered for the sacrifice of Holika who burnt herself in fireon this day.
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Holi is therefore regarded one of the most ancient festivals of the Aryans who finds an honored mention in our old Sanskrit texts like Dashakumar Charit and Garud Puran. Even the play "Ratnavali" written by Harshdev states a delightful description of Holi as a festival. In those days this very festival was celebrated as "Vasantotsav". Latter everybody started calling it "MADANOTSAV".
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Celebration of Holi festival is characterized by performing Holi puja as per Hindu tradition. Dhuleti, which falls day after Holi Puja, is considered to be the actual festival of colors. Children and youngsters vie with each other use fast and sticky colors to celebrate Holi. It is all fun and joy for them.
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Go organic this Holi
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Raid your kitchen to conjure up some homemade Holi
colours!
Holi is synonymous with smiles, gaiety and colours. However, the chemicals used in coours can be a dampener on spirits.
Experts say these colours can harm our skin, hair and can cause respiratory problems too. Many people suffer from skin and eyee allergies because of these chemicals.
Health hazards of Holi colours
Different kinds of chemicals, which can prove harmful, are used to produce Holi colours.
Green : The copper sulphate used can cause temporary blindness and eye allergies.
Silver : It may include aluminium bromide, a carcinogenic or agent involved in causing cancer.
Red : Your favourite gulal may contain mercury sulphite, which can cause skin cancer, mental retardation or paralysis.
Purple : It may contain chromium iodide that can lead to various allergies and asthma.
Staying indoors on this festival of cheer is not a great idea. Instead, doctors suggest playing Holi with organic colours. Many stores now offer these natural colours.
In fact, making these colours at home is also an easy, intelligent and fun option. So here a few tips to help you prepare for an ‘Organic Holi’.
Yellow: Say it with flowers!
Turmeric (haldi) and gram flour (besan) are an important part of our homemade face packs. You can mix both to create the colour yellow. You can substitute gram flour with talcum powder or fuller’s earth (multani mitti) too.
You can also dry flowers like marigold (gainda) or yellow chrysanthemums and crush them to a fine powder. Then, mix this powder with gram flour.
Red: Ek chutki sindoor!
Red seems to be everybody’s favorite colour on Holi. This year rather than smearing gulal on others, wish your friends with an amazing colour made of red sandalwood powder, which is very good for the skin too. Apart from that, you can use sindoor as well. Powder dry red hibiscus flowers and use them as gulal. You can also soak these flowers in water overnight to get wet colour.
Saffron: Ummm... smells good!
It’s said that Lord Krishna played Holi with tesu flowers, known as the Flame of the Forest (butea monosperma). You can either boil these flowers or soak them overnight to obtain a nice smelling orange colour.
You can also crush these dried tesu flowers to a powder, and then mix with sandalwood powder. It smells great and gives a very smooth touch.
Green: Beauty on duty!
You can use henna powder (mehndi), mixed with any suitable flour to attain a lovely green shade. Mehndi only leaves behind its colour when it’s wet and dry mehndi can be brushed off very easily. Those who love putting colour on people’s hair, do it with henna and save everyone a parlour visit too!
Leaves of gulmohur (delonix regia) can also be dried and powdered to attain a fine green colour.
Pink: The wet look!
For a wet pink, slice a few beetroots and soak them overnight in water or boil for a few minutes.
Black: Colour-cum-conditioner
You can boil gooseberries (fruits of amla) in an iron container for a few minutes and then keep it aside for a while. Dilute it with water and use. It also works as a conditioner!
Make a pact to go organic this Holi. You’ll be surprised at how much people welcome the colours and you. So, play Holi the natural way!
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Link:
http://blog.bitcomet.com/abhishek/post_86411/
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