The grey skies give
way to the warm rays of the sun. The bare arms of trees sprout with renewed
life and hope. The winter wren flies away to cooler climes and makes way for
the happy, soulful chirps of the cuckoos and the mynahs; thus heralding the beautiful
albeit short season of "Phlagun"(spring) in India.
The month of "Phalgun"
is considered one of the most important and auspicious months in the Hindu calendar.
With the advent of this season, the farmers get ready with their winter
harvests as do the ladies who are primed to sun out & grind their "masalas"
and finish with their pickling for the year.
As for the children,
who seem to have been indoors for what looks like ages, they are now ready to
play "gilli danda", climb trees and get a taste of the juiciest
mangoes!!! Thus, "Phalgun" is essentially a month of celebration and
joy.. and the culmination of this gaiety comes in the form of the vibrant festival
of Holi.
"Holi" is
celebrated on the full moon night in the month of Phalgun and is known to be
celebrated by throwing of colours on one-another.
But is
"Holi" just about splashing colours? It should be noted that apart
from providing joy, fun and camaraderie; the festival of Holi has significance
in our lives and on our bodies as well.
It is said that Lord
Krishna used to play Holi with "Tesu/Palaash"
flowers or flame of the forest. These flowers have scientifically been proven
to be good for the skin. The colour green was derived from the neem leaves
which again is extremely good for protecting the human body against cold/cough
and even skin infections.
Red sandalwood powder
or the red hibiscus flowers soaked overnight give a beautiful red colour and
have great medicinal value. Yellow colour was derived from Saffron, which till
date is considered an expensive alternate to chemical beauty enhancers by
leading cosmetologists, dermatologists and beauty product giants. Even the
Jacaranda flowers can be dried in the shade and ground to give a wonderful blue
powder which again is used for various dying purposes!
Some western
physicians also believe that for a healthy body, colours have an important
place besides the other vital elements. Deficiency of a particular colour in
our body causes ailment, which can be cured only after supplementing the body
with that particular colour. Biologists believe that the liquid dye or "Abeer" has the ability to penetrate
the body and enter into the pores thus strengthening the ions in the body besides
rejuvenating the human system.
In fact, people of
Vrindavan and Mathura still play Holi with the traditional yellowish-orange
coloured water extracted from the dried Tesu flowers. Marigold, Amaltas and
yellow chrysanthemums are used for making yellow colour and their sattvic
fragrance provide nourishment to the nervous system and are believed to have enhanced
therapeutic effects on the whole body.
Even kitchen
ingredients like kasturi haldi and besan are used in the making of the holi
colours and are considered extremely healthy for our skin.
There is yet another
scientific reason for celebrating Holi, this however pertains to the tradition
of "Holika Dahan". The
mutation period of winter and spring, induces the growth of bacteria in the
atmosphere as well as in the body. When "Holika" is burnt, temperature rises to about 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Following the tradition when people perform "Parikrama" (circumambulation or going around) around the fire,
the heat from the fire kills the bacteria in the body thus, cleansing it.
People also spring-clean
their houses before Holi which helps in clearing up the dust and mess in the
house and get rid of mosquitoes and others pests. A clean house generally makes
the residents feel good and generate positive energy.
'Holi' comes from the
word 'hola', meaning to offer oblation or thanksgiving to the Almighty and this
year we all must do just the same. By spring cleaning our houses, minds and
souls; by playing "Holi" with organic home-made colours and by loving,
laughing & sharing the sentiment - "Bura na mano.. Holi Hai!"
