Indian Hindu Holiday ("Holi") Object: "Gulal" Dye

These are Indian Hindu bags of powdered dyes, called "gulal," for celebrating the "Holi" festival.

Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated throughout India. Celebrants use "gulal" in the celebration of the festival. It is especially important in northern India. Holi is associated with the god Vishnu, the arrival of spring, and the grain harvest.
 
Holi gets its name from a story in Hindu religious texts about Hindu gods and goddesses and heroes. According to this story, Vishnu protects a young prince, who was a devoted worshiper of Vishnu, from the prince's sister, a demon goddess.

It was Krishna who popularized the tradition of Holi. Krishna was a reincarnation of lord Vishnu himself. The origin of the colorful and frolicking tone of Holi lies in Krishna’s boyhood, when he used to drench the village girls with water and colors. Soon everyone joined the fun.
 
Celebrations include building bonfires to burn away the evil spirit and honor Vishnu’s power. People may take embers from the bonfire to light their own fires at home. And some believe that ashes from the Holi fire provide protection against diseases.

The most popular part of the festival is covering each other with dye. The powdered dyes were traditionally made from dried seeds and flowers of trees that bloomed in the spring. Synthetic dyes of many colors are now popular.

Hinduism is the oldest living religion, about 4,000 – 5,000 years old. Hindu people believe that Brahman is the creator, preserver and transformer of existence. Gods that are part of Brahman include Vishnu, the preserver god, and Shiva, the god of destruction. Hinduism came from India. No one person founded the religion. There are many Hindu holy books. Hindus honor their deities through worship. Hindus tell stories of the ways that the gods interact with each other and with humans. Hindus believe in rebirth after death (reincarnation); their goal is to escape the movement of the soul into another body and to become one with Brahman.
 
Source:
"Holi." World Book Online InfoFinder. World Book, 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
< http://0-www.worldbookonline.com.dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/pl/infofinder/article?id=ar726144&st=holi>.