How to make colored powder for Holi celebrations
Let’s make some colored powder for Holi also known as gulal. You can make Gulal using food coloring or natural coloring such as tumeric. Today we will focus on food dye colors – but will also outline some natural coloring recommendations for you!
What is Holi?
Holi is a Hindu festival that lasts two days. It is a spring time festival originally celebrated in Northern India, but now celebrated by Hindus all over the world. It is also known as the festival of colour and it welcomes spring. It is most known for its colored powder runs (which happen on the second day of Holi) – where people gather and have a super fun filled colored water/ colored powder fight! Holi celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is a time for forgiveness, friendship and family.
The evening before the color run is known as Holika Dahan – the end of winter. This is celebrated with a bonfire – symbolic for the burning of the demoness Holika – symbolising good wining over bad.
Typical Holi themes for kids include:
- Anything bright and colorful – especially colored powder/ splat art type activities
- Bonfires for Holika Dahan and the end of winter
- Love, friendship and forgiveness
- Holi traditional foods such as gujiya (sweet dumplings), Dahi vada (yoghurt dumplins), Pakora (fried cheese fritters), Barfi (Indian sweets)
When is Holi?
Holi is celebrated at the end of winter, on the last full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month, marking the spring, making the date vary with the lunar cycle. The date falls typically in March, but sometimes late February of the Gregorian calendar. (Source: Wikipedia)
In 2025 Holika Dahan will on the evening of the 13th March, the color fun or the festival of colors will be on the 14th March!
Supplies needed to maek holi powder
Per Holi colour:
- 300 cornflour/corn starch
- 200ml water
- Food colouring (note: the better the food coloring, the better your results! We like using sugarflair)
- Foil tray – foil trays are useful, as it is easier to remove your paint “cake” afterwards. Be sure to recycle your foil in your recycling bin. OR you could also use some baking paper to line a regular bowl or dish. Baking trays were too – you can spread your color mixture a bit thinner for quicker drying!
- A bowl for mixing
NOTE: as this is the basis for oobleck – making colorful rainbow oobleck is also a lovely Holi activity for toddlers and preschoolers! Sensory fun, without the craziness of a color run!
How to make colored powder for Holi
Color the HALF water
Start by mixing half the water with your food coloring. We start with half, as you don’t always need ALL your water.. and this way you can gradually add uncolored water at the end.
The more food coloring you use, the brighter your final colored powder. We also find using high quality food coloring is much better! We love using the sugarflair brand.
TOP TIP: this is also an excellent opportunit to explore some colour mixing theory. Can you make your own green, purple and orange?
Mixing your oobleck
Add your cornflour to a mixing bowl. And stir in the colored water. Mix evenly. Add more water if you need to – less is more, as you will need the mixture to fully dry.
Note – this will become something called oobleck, which is both a solid and a liquid at the same time. You may find the mixing to be a bit fiddly (but fun!).
Poor into your foil tray to set
Time to pour the colorful oobleck into a foil tray (or dish lined with parchment paper). You will need to leave the oobleck to dry fully – this can easily take 24 hours!
Break the paint cake back into powder
Take the dried colored cornflour and carefully crumble it up to make a powder again.
Natural Holi Colours
Here are some suggestions for making your own natural coloured powder for Holi:
- Tumeric – yellow – mix the powder into your cornstarch and then add water.
This is probably the easiest one to make yourself. But you can use beetroot juice, teas and kale to make other colours – as per this natural egg dying process here (you don’t dye the eggs but the water first)!
You have now made some gorgeous coloured powder for your Holi colour run – remember to use this OUTDOORS. It is super fun, but also super messy!!
Happy Holi celebrations to you!
