Blog

November 11, 2020

India, the second largest democracy in the world as everyone knows it is also secretly the country where people of all ages know how to party! And believe me when I say party, I mean celebrating all of the historical events where the good annihilates the evil (mostly) as various festivals. In India people don’t just look at festivals as a means of worship, but it’s majorly a reason to unite and celebrate with your loved ones and family which signifies the vibrancy of Indian life. To ensure that everyone is having their bit of fun here’s how you can make sure that everyone around also has the same with a few festival etiquettes to make the festivals more memorable and safe for everyone.

Holi
One of the most fun festivals to celebrate with friends, known as the festival of colours where clean and dry clothes are unacceptable by the end of the day.

Do’s

• To protect your hair you can oil it up before you leave the house to make it an easier job for you to clean it off when you come back home after a tiring day already. Yes, holi is tiring and fun.
• Use non-toxic or home made colours to prevent any kind of infections, rashes or skin reactions which you might regret later.
• Try to save water, remember it’s the festival of colours and not water, keep it as dry as possible. Remember to keep yourself hydrated, carry a water bottle with you.
• Have a first aid kit nearby, you know just in case.

Don’ts

• Don’t use mud, eggs, varnish or detergent to play holi, strictly use non-toxic colours as they are safe for everyone.
• Leave the trees and animals out of the party, so they don’t need to be smeared by colour.
• Be considerate to people with special skin sensitivity and don’t pour colour near eyes and wounds for anyone.
• Respect people who are not part of the party and include them only with proper consent; holi doesn’t give you the privilege to break into people’s personal space.
• Avoid throwing/using water balloons.

Ganesh Chaturthi

The birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha or popularly known as Ganeshotsav or Ganpati is celebrated with great festivities in the state of Maharashtra and other parts of the country. Itincludes following a set of rituals like bringing home Lord Ganesha’s idol home for a number of days and celebrating his presence until the idol is immersed in water.

Do’s

• Get an eco friendly idol of Lord Ganesha home to prevent water pollution after immersion in the respective water body
• Try to avoid the usual peak hour traffic time when going for the visarjan to avoid any inconvenience on the roads.
• Using traditional instruments during the procession will help in reducing noise pollution and be budget friendly as well.

Don’ts

• Avoid throwing flowers and garlands in the water bodies during the immersion to prevent contamination and pollution.
• Leaving your children unaccompanied at the immersion site is a strict no as the place is buzzing with strangers and usually very crowded.
• The use of crackers should be avoided because they only help increase noise and air pollution.

Diwali
The homecoming of Lord Ram with Sita and his younger brother Laxman after a 14 year long exile is celebrated in a 5 day long festival where people light diyas (earthen oil lamps) to welcome him home. Handling fire is dangerous and hence minor burns, fire accidents are very common during this period and here’s how to reduce them.

Do’s

• Make sure that you burst firecrackers in an open space in the absence of any inflammatory substances around.
• Purchase fireworks from a trusted and licensed seller only to ensure that you receive properly manufactured fireworks which don’t contribute to any surprises
• Always read the instructions on the firecracker packaging, especially if you are new to the cracker.
• Keep a bucket of water, burn ointments and fire extinguishers nearby just in case.

Don’ts

• Not using firecrackers is the best choice to have a clean diwali while being considerate to the environment and instead investing that money elsewhere like in food and snacks.
• Don’t wear long and loose synthetic clothes while burning firecrackers as they are the most susceptible to catching fire, wear something comfortable and cotton is recommended.
• Avoid loud firecrackers, this is the festival of light and not sound loud firecrackers only contribute to noise pollution.
• Leave the animals and trees out of this festival as well, don’t scare them with loud and bright firecrackers. Trees might catch fire and start a whole different problem.