Color is often used as a form of expression in cultures worldwide. When I began my research on color in festivals, Heather Clawson posted Colour My World on her blog Habitually Chic (http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/). Clawson juxtaposed images from the Spring/Summer 2011 fashion collections with images of exterior and interior color design. Colour My World revealed an enthusiastic use of color in Western culture. The following images are a sampling from Clawson's post, Colour My World (http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/2011/01/color-my-world.html).
Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011
Unknown
Gucci Spring/Summer 2011
David Hicks, 1954
Our passion for color, as displayed in the visuals above have a synchronous application in Eastern cultures. More specifically, I found proof of this color dialogue between East and West in the orchestration of the Hindu Holi Festival.
The first marked celebration in the Hindu calendar is the Holi Festival. Each Spring, Holi, also known as the Festival of Color is celebrated in several countries. Thousands of people come together and participate in many activities, including the ancient ritual of putting colored powder on each other.
The colored powder used during Holi was originally made from natural seeds, flowers and silt from the riverbed. Over time, the palette of powders has greatly expanded through the introduction of synthetic pigments.
Women, men and children from different social classes and backgrounds come together and are united through color.
This Spring, be reminded of the famous Holi saying, "Let the colors of Holi spread the message of peace and happiness."
