Popularly known as ‘Festival of Colour, Holi is being celebrated throughout the country with colors, water, and delicious delicacies.
But with the use of chemical colours, the dreadful phase of getting rid of the stubborn stains of these colours on our face, hair, and body starts. These harsh chemicals can lead to dryness and irritation on the skin, which can last for many days after the festival.
So, if you are someone who loves playing Holi but do not want the festival to affect your skin and hair, here are some super easy methods to make your celebrations mark-free.
Pre Holi skin care tips
To save your skin from harsh colours, apply sunscreen or oil for at least 30 minutes before stepping out to enjoy the festival. This would create a barrier between skin and colour. Further, remember to apply face oil and sunscreen on the ears, neck, and other exposed parts of the body so that the colours will easily be washable.
Additionally, our clothes can also act as a barrier. Avoid wearing thin fabric like a cotton tee, then chances are that the colour may seep underneath as well. It is therefore advisable to wear comparatively thick fabrics and go for full sleeves to ensure our bare skin gets the least (chemical-loaded) colour exposure.
A pro tip for nail protection
Colours often get stuck in and on our nails, failing to wash away days after the festival. To not let colours get stuck to your nails for days, one can apply clear-coated nail polish. Further, a pro-tip is to apply the polish to the skin around your nails so that no colour seeps or gets stuck around your nails.
Oil can be applied to our hair, to protect them from getting damaged. The best oils one can use are – coconut, mustard, or olive.
Post Holi clean-up tips
This step involves the washing of holi colours with lukewarm water. Also one can dab his/her face with a cloth soaked in oil to remove colours.
Holi Special: The Tradition of Lath!
The famous Lathmar Holi of Barsana and Nandgaon is one of the most popular Holi traditions in our country. Located near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Barsana and Nandgaon pay homage to Lord Krishna and Radha, the inspiration behind Lathmar Holi.
Never failing to catch one’s attention, the Lathmar Holi is one in which a Lath or wooden stick is used to playfully hurl away the men who try to color the women during the auspicious festival of color, food, and joy.
History of Lathmar Holi
Lord Krishna was a resident of Nandgaon while Radha lived in Barsana.
It is believed that on Holi, Lord Krishna wanted to play and spray colors on Radha and her friends. However, when Krishna and his friends entered Barsana, Radha and her friends playfully greeted Krishna with sticks or laths and drove them out of Barsana.
As time passed, this became a tradition and in the present day, people enact the incident as a tribute to Lord Krishna and Radha. Every year, men from Nandgaon visit Barsana. When the males play or spray Holi colors on their female partners, they playfully hurl the men away by using a lath or wooden sticks. The men, on the other hand, use shields to protect themselves from the laths.
Over the years, this has become a centre of attraction for many, and people from all over the world reach Nandgoan and Barsana to experience and participate in Lathmar Holi.
The Lathmar Holi
The festivities of Lathmar Holi take place in the famous Radha Rani temple in Barsana, believed to be the only temple in the country dedicated to Radha. The festivities last for over a week, people dance, sing, and immerse themselves in color. It ends on the day of Rang Panchami, celebrated on Chaitra Krishnapaksh Panchami i.e. the fifth day of the second fortnight of the month of Chaitra.
Other popular traditions of Holi
Apart from Holika Dahan, people usually gather near the Holy river Ganga and play Holi, engage in the occasional indulgence of Thandai, a popular Holi drink, participate in song banters, and more.
The other very popular Holi tradition in Uttar Pradesh is the Phoolon ki Holi or Holi with Flowers, celebrated in Banke Bihari Temple, Mathura. Phoolon Ki Holi is pre-dominantly observed on Ekadashi which falls a few days prior to the main Holi. On this day, the local priests and people use only flowers and petals to play Holi with each other.
