Celebrate Holi Rangoli

This month we celebrate Holi, the Festival of Colours, love and the change of season. 

Holi is celebrated in India, Nepal and all around the world, and is a fun opportunity to introduce your little ones to new cultural experiences. The origins of Holi are Hindu but many of the traditions can be enjoyed by everyone.  

The festival provides an opportunity for people to come together at the change of season and celebrate all the good things in life including culture, friendship, food, music, dancing and, of course, children and families.  

Children’s health and wellbeing is supported by fun, interactive learning experiences and our little ones benefit from rich cultural opportunities to learn and explore with the important adults in their lives.  

Joining celebrations in your community can be a great way to encourage playful exploration of cultural traditions and beliefs. 

The Holi Festival takes place on the last full moon day and so the exact date changes slightly each year. This year the celebration is on 24 and 25 March and what better way to start your child’s cultural exploration than by attending a Holi celebration.  

Holi offers a unique opportunity to learn more about colour through tactile and joyous experiences such as throwing colours on one another. While having fun together, you can also encourage your child to hear and understand new words and discover new areas of interest through food, music, dance and stories.  

To practise some of these ideas and introduce your little ones to rich cultural experiences, visit your local library for resources and celebration details, or visit the State Library at 10 am on Sunday 24 March for an exciting story time with Madhu Khanna, a celebrated sand artist who will share the story of the rangoli, an ancient Indian artform, followed by a family friendly sand activity bursting with colour. 

The Holi Rangoli storytime is presented as part of Community storytime. In February dozens of families celebrated the Lunar New Year with drums, a traditional lion dance and dragon craft. 

For more information about how you can support your child’s health and wellbeing through playful cultural experiences attend a First 5 Forever session at your local library and chat with the First 5 Forever staff.  You’re never too young to be a member of your local library. You can join your little one up from birth and borrow any number of fantastic books about the Holi Festival, India and Indian culture to celebrate.  

What to read with your little one: 

India, Incredible India written by Jasbinder Bilan and illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti (2023) 

Holi Hai! written by Chitra Soundar and illustrated by Darshika Varma (2022) 

Amma's Sari written by Sandhya Parappukkaran and illustrated by Michelle Pereira (2022) 

I Am Brown written by Ashok Banker and illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat (2020) 

Festival of Colours written by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal and illustrated by Vashti Harrison (2018)