Diwali is celebrated by Hindus at the end of October.
Why do Hindu’s celebrate Diwali, which story are they
remembering?
How do Hindu’s celebrate this festival?
Make a list with your group on the sugar paper.
Rangoli is a Hindu folk art, generally created on a floor on special festive occasions.
Simply put, Rangoli means a row of colours.
Origin
According to a legend a king and his kingdom were steeped in sorrow at the death of
the high priest's son. Everybody prayed to Lord Brahma, who moved by the prayers,
asked the king to paint a portrait of the boy on the floor so that he could breathe life
into it. And with that the art of floor painting came to life. And that is how rice, flour and
flowers were transformed into picturesque offerings to God in the form of floor painting.
In ancient India, rangolis were used to decorate the entrances of homes, a floorpainting which provided a warm and colorful welcome to visitors. In Indian cultures, all
guests and visitors occupy a very special place, and a rangoli is an expression of this
warm hospitality. In particular, the Diwali festival is widely celebrated with rangolis,
since at this time, people visit each other's homes to exchange greetings and sweets.
In a rangoli, powdered colors are sprinkled on cleaned and dusted floors to form
decorations. Rangolis can be vivid, three-dimensional art complete with shadings or
they can be the traditional plain, yet as beautiful as, two-dimensional designs. The
colored powder is usually applied 'freehand' by letting it run from the gap formed by
pinching
the
thumb
and
the
forefinger.
Oil lamps (diyas) would be placed in the rangoli to give it yet another dimension.
Find some examples of Rangoli Patterns.
Motifs generally created are lotus, fish, birds, snakes
etc. which reflects the unity of man and beast. Most
of the rangoli designs are circular symbolising a
sense of endless time. Celestial symbols such as the
sun and moon are also common themes for rangoli.
Layered with symbolism is the lotus denoting
Goddess Lakshmi, the unfolding of life, the heart
or the wheel.
Most Rangolis are basically geometric patterns formed with
dots and lines to make squares, circles, swastikas, lotus
flowers, fish, conch shells, footprints or trees.
The raw materials mainly used to make rangoli are edibles
like rice flour, pulse and leaves. All over India, floor
paintings are essentially white in color. White is a symbol of
peace, purity and tranquility. The material used is rice flour
or rice paste, because rice to all Indians is a sign of
prosperity. Yet another symbol of prosperity is the colour
yellow. Turmeric yellow is also often used to fill in the white
outlines. More often however, vermilion is used. Vermilion,
is considered auspicious. Also used are pea green and rust
brown.