Abir
Sign in to saveAlso known as Gulal
Gulal or abir is the traditional name given to the coloured powders used for some Hindu rituals, in particular for the Holi festival or Dol Purnima (though commonly associated with the red colour used in the festival). During Holi, which celebrates love and equality, people throw these powder solutions at each other while singing and dancing. thumb|upright|Little girl playing Holi with gulaal
In the Vinony graph
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
9 sectionsContents
- Legend
- Composition
- From natural to chemical
- Natural dyes
- Uses
- Religious and cultural uses
- Curiosities
- See also
- References
Gulal or abir is the traditional name given to the coloured powders used for some Hindu rituals, in particular for the Holi festival or Dol Purnima (though commonly associated with the red colour used in the festival). During Holi, which celebrates love and equality, people throw these powder solutions at each other while singing and dancing. thumb|upright|Little girl playing Holi with gulaal
==Legend== thumb|Krishna and Radha According to Hindu mythology, Radha was extremely fair and Lord Krishna had a dark complexion. Because of their different skin tones, Krishna often worried about whether Radha would accept him and complained to his mother Yashoda. Yashoda once jokingly suggested that Krishna paint Radha's face a different colour to hide any differences. Krishna did as his mother advised and used gulal to smear Radha's face. And that's how the celebration of Holi began.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Abir” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.