Celebrating Holi - The Festival of Colour

What is Holi Festival?

Holi Festival is a yearly festival celebrated in India and Indian cultures. It is known as the festival of colours, and is a celebration of the virtue of good over evil. As with many Indian traditions, there are amazing legends behind the meaning of the festival and traditions associated with the days of the festival.

In the Indian calendar, Holi Festival also marks the arrival of Spring.

The Colours of Holi Festival

What draws many people to Holi Festival is the use of magnificent colours. Traditionally, these were made from nature - dried flowers, roots, leaves, clay… Now you will more likely find synthetic coloured powders handed out at Holi Festival events around the world. But of course, we’re all for the most natural options, which is why we’re getting a lil creative with the Chai Walli products we have on hand.

Scroll on for some inspiring ways to use our products for your Holi Festival colour palette…

Golden Yellow Turmeric

Of course this had to be number one! Ground turmeric gives off the most golden yellow of colours, and with our Turmeric Latte blend already in powdered form for you - all you need to do is throw it up into the air and make a wish!

Yellow is associated with Lord Vishnu, who was said to have once woven a garment from the rays of the sun. This colour is also associated with merchants in India.

There is a number of interesting stories about Indian yellow - we would love you to have a google when you get the time! It is said that originally yellow dye was made from the *ahem* urine of cows that had eaten many, many mangoes. This tradition died out in the early 1900’s however as this practice was deemed cruel to the cows who were often malnourished. The idea of eating only mangoes for the rest of my life seems exciting for…about 10 minutes…so I’m grateful that the cows were allowed to munch on much more once this tradition ended!

We find our golden yellow powder much more palatable! 

Pretty pinks and reds

Pretty petals of rose, vibrant hibiscus and the more earthy reds of rooibos are what spring to mind when we think of the pink and red powders of Holi. We love using our rose petals for pink garnishes and decorations on sweet cakes and desserts, and they also play an important part in our 11 Spice Chai blends.

If you’d like to bring a little extra pink into your life - give our Skin Glow a go! The vibrant hibiscus in this blend brews up a bright red/pink colour and gives this humble herbal tea a beautiful tartness. Paired with the rose in this brew, this Ayurvedic herbal tea will definitely be enjoyed by us during Holi.

Rooibos is a traditional South African herb. The name rooibos translates to red bush. This caffeine free beauty delivers a rich red hue when brewed, and is a standout in our Caffeine Free 11 Spice Chai blend, or buy it on it’s own in our Pantry range. Rooibos is an excellent caffeine free alternative to black tea - and super high in antioxidants!

In India, red is the colour most worn by brides and is THE colour for celebration and good luck.

Green goodness

We’re going a little further east in Asia for this next one, however we couldn’t write a colour blog without mentioning Matcha! Matcha is a powdered green tea, heralded for its nutritious nature and gorgeous colour. Green tea leaves are picked in early spring and then ground up to powdered form (perfect for Holi Festival, if you ask me!). Matcha is traditionally from the Kyoto prefecture in Japan and is brewed using a special ceramic bowl and whisk.

Green is known world-wide as the colour of nature (#obvs). We can envision throwing this powdered green colour into the air during Holi as a way to connect back with Mother Earth - it would have quite a grounding effect! In India, green is a colour for happiness, and we can certainly understand that! Other beautiful greens in the Chai Walli collection can be found in the green cardamom and fennel seeds that we use in many of our blends. Both spices are earthy and grounding - the perfect match to their beautiful colour!

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We hope that this fun and colourful list has given you some inspiration for this years Holi Festival! If you’re not in India at this time, there are still many Holi events being held throughout Australia and we suggest you get in amongst it! When else would you have an excuse to throw coloured powders at friends and strangers?