My First Holi Festival
POV: A Yorkshireman At Holi
Holi, also known as the festival of colors, is a Hindu festival originally celebrated in India but now celebrated all over the world. It marks the arrival of spring and signifies the victory of good over evil in Hindu mythology. During Holi, people come together to play with vibrant colored powders, known as gulal, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of hues. Each colour at Holi represents something different:
- Red symbolises love and passion and is the most beloved color during Holi.
- Yellow is the sacred colour of India.
- Blue is a symbol of courage, love, calm, and serenity.
- Green holds the essence of energy, new beginnings, harvest, and hope in Hindu culture.
- Pink is a favorite colour for girls and women, and it is seen as the most attractive and energetic color.
- In Hinduism, the colour orange symbolises the sacral chakra, the energy center related to sexuality and self-awareness.
- Purple is always connected to royalty, wealth, and power in India.
What Is A Colour Run?
Taking inspiration from the ancient Hindu festival of Holi, a colour run is a fun run with a difference. Colour powder is thrown at passing runners from colour stations that are dotted along a course. Focusing more on creating memories than the time you get around the track, this makes a colour run a perfect family event!
But how does a colour run work, I hear you ask! Let me guide you through it all...
When to hold a colour run
One of the biggest risks with planning a colour run is the weather. The perfect colour run weather is a warm, dry and still day. Think spring time or early summer. Running in the middle of the day in the height of summer can cause overheating, so take this into consideration.
If possible, plan the course on a field or grassy area. You can run on tarmac, however most people find running on grass more comfortable. If you don't have your own space to use, speak with your council authority about using a park, or ask local businesses that have outdoor space available if they would be happy to let you use it.
Volunteers
Get recruiting early, colour runs are an hands-on-deck event! You'll need volunteers at colour stations, refreshment and activity stalls and of course marshalling the event. If you're finding it difficult to get confirmed volunteers, reach out to local businesses. Not only does it look good for their Corporate Social Responsibility, but it's a really fun team activity!
What to wear?
White is the colour of choice for a colour run. Our white t-shirts are the perfect canvas for the vibrant colour powders to stand out. We also offer a bespoke printing service, get in touch for a quote.
Eye protection is a must, as with anything, if our colour powder goes in your eyes it can cause irritation. We have a range of vibrant and affordable sunglasses available here.
Our motto is dress for mess as the colour powders can cause staining, so don't wear your fancy white trainers! We recommend comfortable and sturdy trainers, that you don't mind getting mucky. Colour powder on tarmac can be slippy, so be sure to take care! It's worth having a waiver available for runners/children who are taking part - we have an waiver template available, please get in touch for this.
What is colour powder?
Contrary to popular belief, the powders that are thrown at colour runs aren't paint. Our powders are made from corn starch and food grade dyes. They're designed to be kind to skin, so we don't add any preservatives or bulking agents. You can find out more about our colour powders by reading through our material and safety data sheet.
Charity colour run
As seen in the Forget Me Not Children's Hospice case study, a colour run can be an incredibly profitable event. Increase profit by having refreshment stalls available, sell accessories and 100g bags of colour powder to spectators, and have the usual 'whack-a-mole', buy a bottle and teddy tombola stalls available. These are great ways to raise more money.
Photo opportunities
The best way to capture the vibrancy of the day is to organise a 'colour cloud' at the end of the run. Simply throw handfulls of colour powder, or opened 100g bags, into the air to create a wonderful rainbow cloud of colours! This will give you wonderful images to share after the event, and can also be used for promotion for next years event!
Hopefully you've now got a better understanding of what a colour run is and how it all works. If you still have any questions, get in touch with our friendly team of colour experts who will be more than happy to help!
Olympic Themed Colour Run Activities
Add the element of colour to your 2024 Olympic Games themed sports day!
The Olympics 2024 will be taking place in Paris between Friday 26th July and Sunday 11th August. There's plenty of ways to tie the leading international sporting event into colour themed sports days and fundraising ideas, so let's make like Tom Daley and dive in!
First things first, hacky sacks!
We know children love colour powder, so to ensure the fun lasts even longer and they don't throw it all at once, by filling odd socks with colour powder, you can have hours of fun! A hacky sack is a great way to play a number of Olympic Sports, in the school playground. Send out a request to parents, for donations of odd socks (we know every household has them!), and get filling them up. You can even get students involved in making up the hacky sacks, beforehand!
Archery
Don't worry, we're not suggesting arming young children with bows and arrows in the playground! This is our child-friendly take. Using chalk, create targets on the playground floor for children to throw hacky sacks into. When the hacky sack hits the ground a burst of colour powder will be released and mark the spot it hit. The team member who gets closest to the bullseye wins a point!
Track
There's plenty of ways to make running more fun for kids, Sport Aberdeen have an amazing selection of ideas that are suitable for children of all ages. Our favourite way to add an element of excitement to running is to incorporate colour powder!
- Colour Run - Using a paper cup, scoop out colour powder from our 5kg bags of colour powder and throw this at the running children, covering them in vibrant colours. From April we will have our black colour powder available to purchase, so you can use the 5 colours of the Olympic Rings to keep on brand!
- Relays - Switch the baton for a hacky sack or 100g bag of colour powder. At the end of the race, the winners get covered in the other teams colours.
- Long jump - Add a sprinkling of colour powder to the sand pit so when landing there is a cloud of colour! Have volunteers add more colour powder when needed.
- Colour Run Obstacle Course - Like above, but add in hurdles, hoops to jump through, a slip and slide area or even inflatables! The kids will love it.
Throwing
- Shot put - Participants should stand inside a chalk circle and hold a hacky sack against their shoulder. The technique for throwing shot put is an art form in itself, as you can see in the video of the Müller British Athletic Championships!
- Discus - A similar technique to shot put, so make sure to warm up before this event. Rather than using a hacky sack try using an individual 100g bag of colour powder!
Colour-and-spoon race
Forget the egg, we're all about the colour powder here! Not your typical Olympic sport, but you really can't beat this style of event for sports day! Scoop a spoonful of colour powder for each child and set them on their way. You could add an extra element to this event by introducing obstacles.
When it comes to hosting your own Olympic Sports Day in the playground, focus on inclusivity and participation for all students. By creating a welcoming and friendly environment, you can foster not only physical skills but also social-emotional growth and a sense of belonging among your students. Let's come together and celebrate the power of sport, friendship, and inclusivity in your very own Olympic Games.