Know The Healthy Spirit of Holi – The Festival of Colours

Marking the end of winter and the summer knocking at the doorstep. With blooming flowers and colourful trees, here is the arrival of spring. Such a beautiful sight! I am sure you all are welcoming this change with great zeal.

“A healthy heart-warming bonfire, a vibrant dash of colours, here comes the festival of colours.” Let us welcome Holi – the natural way! With many ancient stories revolving around Holi, we need to look at the science behind celebrating Holi. Know the healthy spirit of Holi and enjoy it to the fullest–the healthy way!

The Healthy Essence of Holi

We all are aware of the legend of Prahlad and King Hiranyakashyap, where Prahlad remains safe despite the evil plans against him. The bonfire or ‘Holika Dahan’ is celebrated as a symbol of victory of devotion, love, and truth over evil. There are many other stories too that signify the cultural, social and spiritual aspects of celebrating Holi.

But do you know? The festival of Holi is celebrated with a scientific significance too. Yes, and it is truly interesting. This is indeed a wonderful period when the winter is coming to an end and the summer is about to begin. While we love to enjoy the cool and pleasant climate, moderate weather can often invite undesirable germs. Harmful bacteria tend to thrive during this period, which can make the air unhealthy. To avoid such disease-causing germs from affecting our health, the ritual of bonfire or Holika is planned. It is believed that during the bonfire, the temperature rises enough to kill the harmful germs, thus purifying the surroundings.

Also, as a custom, people go around the bonfire or take ‘parikrama’ around it offering their prayers. This exposes us to the heat of the bonfire and the pure air around it, helps cleanse the body too. This is considered as a healthy ritual as it helps kill the germs around and within the body.

People enjoy homemade foods like ‘Gujiya’, made of mava or coconut, or dishes made of protein rich dalsto keep you healthy and strong during this season change. ‘Thandai’, a popular drink in Holi celebrations, is made with milk, saffron and dry fruits can be added to make it more nutritious. The whole idea is to have wholesome, nourishing food and drink to stay healthy, fight illnesses and rejoice in the spirit of this festival.

While playing colours is an integral part of celebrating Holi, we also need to understand the healthy essence of playing colours in Holi. It was believed that rubbing natural colours on the body has a positive impact on our health. It was impressive to treat ourselves with colour therapy as a part of playing Holi. Considering this, in earlier times, natural colours made from flowers, which had vibrant colours. These flowers and naturally made colours were believed to have medicinal properties as well. Rubbing them over the body would allow their entry into the body through the skin pores, which was considered healthy and as a way to prevent diseases. However, over time, things have changed. Holika bonfire may have harmful substances used in it, which can cause air pollution. Natural colours are replaced by artificial colours, which can do more harm than good.

Hence, it is important to respect the essence of Holi and plan to have a safe and eco-friendly Holi celebration.

Play Safe This Holi

The chemical-laden colours are undoubtedly harmful to the skin, eyes and overall health. The awareness of the environment-friendly Holi celebration has given rise to a range of natural colours. There are a variety of colours in the market, claiming to have made from natural substances like turmeric, henna powder, spinach, beetroot, hibiscus flowers, etc. However, it is necessary to be careful while using colours, as some people may be sensitive to certain substances.
Colours are played with a spraying of water during Holi celebrations. As this can cause a lot of wastage of water, it is best to plan judicious use of water for playing Holi.
These days many new ideas for an eco-friendly Holi have come up. Some people plan to have a painting or a rangoli event to enjoy colours safely and creatively. While some gather to have fun with colourful flowers to avoid the risk of artificial colours and water wastage.
Holi celebration is about welcoming the change of season, harvest and a way of showing love and gratitude among family and friends. People meet and greet each other, share sweets and enjoy playing colours. While social gatherings and fun-filled events are always a part of our festivals, we should also ensure that we keep our celebrations healthy. Taking care of our surroundings and environment is important. Wellbeing and hygiene should be kept in mind, to avoid the spread of illnesses during gatherings.
Here, we have discussed the importance and impact of Holi on our health. Now that we know the real essence of Holi, we can be more responsible and celebrate a Healthy Holi!!