What is Rangoli? The Ultimate Guide
Rangoli is a form of art that originated in India, consisting of bright, colourful patterns that are made using a variety of materials such as rocks, coloured rice and marble dust. But what are the origins of this art form and how is it created?
We’ve put together the ultimate guide on everything you need to know about rangoli and how to create your own vibrant rangoli art.
What is rangoli?
Rangoli is the art of using bright coloured sand or other materials to create intricate and kaleidoscopic designs. These designs typically serve as symbols and have a religious purpose, created to welcome Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and good luck and to keep evil at bay.
Typically in a Hindu household, basic rangoli is practised every day however patterns are primarily made during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. These vibrant patterns can also be seen at weddings, religious celebrations and other Hindu festivals such as Pongal, Tihar and Onam.
Creating rangoli art can be a very enjoyable and relaxing activity for everyone however, as it helps to calm the mind and allows you to practice mindfulness.
What is diwali?
Diwali is the biggest holiday of the year in India with celebrations typically lasting 5 or 6 days. It is on the second day of the festival that people will decorate their homes with clay lamps and create stunning rangoli patterns on the floor in front of their entrance. The main day of the festival (the third day) is when families gather together to make a prayer to the Goddess Lakshmi, followed by a feast and fireworks.
How to make rangoli patterns
Traditional rangoli patterns are made on the floor, often outside the front door, or on a board that can be carried to the desired spot. Patterns should be made on a flat surface (ideally one that’s white to help your design stand out even more!) and with a material of your choice.
Patterns are often designed to be symmetrical, using a combination of straight and curved lines and incorporating imagery of flowers and items from nature.
To begin creating your design, draw an outline of your desired pattern so you know exactly what to fill in and where to place your powder. The next step is simple, grab your colours and start to bring your design to life!
Traditional rangoli art is made using your finger and thumb to spread the powder across the pattern’s outline. To produce easy rangoli designs, we recommend filling up small, easy squeeze applicator bottles with rangoli sand. Doing so will allow you to pour and control the powder more easily and create neater designs!
If you want to bring a bit of colour and mindfulness into your life, then creating rangoli art is the perfect solution. Our Rangoli range is available to purchase here.
Festive Fundraising Ideas For Christmas
Halloween has been and gone and Bonfire Night has passed meaning we are well and truly into November and you know what that means… Christmas is almost here! Well okay, it’s 7 weeks away, but that’s close enough to start getting into the festive spirit! As Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey defrost, it’s time to crack open the mulled wine, grab a mince pie and get the merry tunes on.
For a lot of schools, community groups and businesses, this time of year provides a great opportunity to support local charities and non-profit organisations with Christmas themed fundraising events. If you’re hosting a fundraising event soon and need some joyful and festive themed ideas, we’ve got you covered with a list of activities that are bound to raise a lot of money for your chosen charity and ensure that your event sleighs!
Santa Run
Starting off with a colourful and jolly event, why not throw a Santa fun run for your fundraising event. Imagine a crowd of Santas running through a park, all dressed in colourful red suits and rocking their beards and Santa hats. That will definitely be a sight to behold! Or you could mix it up, holding an elf fun run instead and encourage everyone to wear elf hats and green costumes.
You could even add the colourful element of colour powder to your fun run which will definitely bring even more enjoyment to your participants and add an extra twist to your event. Use red colour powder and green colour powder to stay on trend! And when starting your fun run off, why not blast bright red and green colour powder fountains into the air at the start line to get your participants going?
Christmas Craft Fair
Whether you’re a community group, primary or secondary school or a business throwing a fundraiser, why not let your members get creative and produce some Christmas crafts. This could include some yummy festive treats like gingerbread men, Christmas cupcakes or a chocolate yule log.
Or for those out there looking to get a bit more innovative with their Christmas crafts, you could create some handmade Christmas wreaths, baubles, stockings or garlands - the opportunities are endless!
Once everyone has produced their craft of choice, set up a craft fair in your desired location and invite members of the public to come and purchase everyone’s lovely products, with all profits going to charity.
Christmas Pyjama Day
This next idea is a fun one for both kids and adults, who doesn’t love a pyjama day! Encourage everyone to find their favourite, brightest pair of Christmas pyjamas and spend their whole day (whether at school or at the office) in them, making a charitable donation to do so. You can even take the festive dress to the next level with some cute, novelty head boppers that come in a range of Christmas themed characters!
Christmas Card Sale
This last idea is particularly great for school children, letting their creative, festive juices flow as they design their own Christmas card designs. You could run this as a competition and pick the best designs to be printed as actual Christmas cards or for more options, choose them all! After all, they’ll all be put on sale for people to purchase afterwards, with all proceeds going to your charity of choice.
This idea will definitely be a hit with parents wanting to purchase their child's Christmas card design to give to family members!
And there you have it, 4 wonderful and joyful ideas for fundraising at Christmas! We can’t wait to see what you get up to for your Christmas fundraising events and activities and if you use any of our Christmas products at your events, we’d love to see your photos and videos and how you used them! Please send any content to hello@ministryofcolours.com and you might see yourself on our social media pages!