How to Spend a Sustainable Holi?
- Pranjul Sharma
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
Holi is the festival of colours celebrated each year, with significance for the brotherhood it fosters and the vitality of spring. Connected to its religious meaning, it commemorates the triumph of good over evil. Primarily rooted in Hindu mythology, it narrates the story of the disciple Prahalad and his unwavering devotion to Lord Vishnu. This celebration, originating from India, is now embraced by people around the globe. The two-day festival of Holi occurs on the full moon day following the last month (Falgun) of the Hindu calendar. Holi begins with a large bonfire (Holika Dahan), symbolising victory over evil and the burning of all the negativity away from the year. Following Holika Dahan, people play Holi with colours and water the next day, enjoying the traditional flavours of festive foods, particularly sweets like gujiya and the drink Thandai. Signifying brotherhood, individuals embrace forgiveness by letting go of past conspiracies, controversies, and disputes, celebrating Holi with unity and joy, thus bringing all communities together in this celebration.
Regrettably, modern celebrations and festival practices, rather than promoting positivity and a nurturing atmosphere, often contribute negatively to the environment by overlooking traditional cultural practices and the splendour of festivals. The modern observance of Holi has supplanted herbal colours derived from fresh flowers and leaves with those made from harmful chemicals. Instead of engaging with flowers, individuals in society waste gallons of water, hold pool parties, and dance to loud music, contributing to noise pollution. People in contemporary societies fail to recognise how detrimental their celebratory habits are and how urgently we must revert to old and healthier traditional practices to celebrate Holi, as celebration is essential, but not with the vibrant colours; instead, celebration must be held with environmental responsibility and in the most sustainable manner.
The best practices to spend a sustainable Holi helping to protect the environment:
Rather than using harmful chemical-based colours, adopt natural or organic colours.
Chemical-based colours contain harmful chemicals and substances like lead and asbestos. These synthetic colours also pollute the bodies of water by releasing chemicals into the water. Rather than using these chemical-laden powders, opt for herbal or natural home-made colours, the ones made from turmeric, henna, sandalwood, beetroot, or flower petal extract. Homemade colours are safe for the environment and make the holi celebration more sustainable.
Say no to water balloons, plastic spray bottles, and equipment.
Avoid using water balloons and plastic materials such as plastic bags, packets, or cutlery items during holi parties. Instead, choose reusable bottles, cloth, or tote bags; use biodegradable cutlery made from wood or bamboo.
Save water, adopt dry Holi, or play it with the flowers.
Stop wasting water and avoid Holi pool parties. Water scarcity is a major issue; save the water and protect the pools from chemicals. Follow the old traditional flower Holi, played by Lord Krishna & Radha, and give a nature touch to the celebration. The flower celebration will provide an aromatic glance to your celebration. For the decorations, drawing Flower Rangoli will be an attraction to the celebration.
Celebrate Holika-Dahan or Bon Fire, burning cow dung cakes and fallen leaves.
People should not cut the trees for the bonfire but choose other healthy options like dry cow dung cakes, dry leaves and branches, minimal woods or dried shrubs, etc. Let's make Holi a symbol of responsibility. Planting a new tree on the occasion of Holi will be the best celebration practice ever.
Sustainable Clothing.
People never forget to showcase their fashion sense; therefore, at Holi Parties, wear new and expensive clothes for that one celebration and later throw them in the waste. Adopt the habit of reusing or wearing old clothes to play the colours.
Celebrate the festival with kindness and respect.
Avoid throwing colours on animals such as street dogs or stray cats.
Post-celebration cleaning and waste disposal must be done.
After the Holi celebration, clean all the waste and dump it into the bins; segregate the waste before dumping and use separate bins.
Make your Holi celebration joyful by adopting green Holi practices; also encourage your friends and family to adopt these sustainable practices for the eco-friendly Holi celebration and preserve our environment. Have a safe Holi.
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