The traditional Indian art of creating ornaments and unusual paintings is not just a colorful ritual, but a whole mystery and a long process. Dry painting has long been considered a female occupation, and all the tricks of drawing patterns are transmitted from mother to daughter. Decorative art is preserved in the villages of India, but in megalopolises it is lost forever.
For a long time, rangoli frightening evil spirits were painted in the yard of a house cleaned from trash or on a carefully washed threshold. What it is? This is an ornament that is applied daily early in the morning. Not a single national holiday can do without colorful drawings that attract good gods.
Ancient traditions
The Indians have an ancient tradition that tells of a terrible mountain that befell the High Priest. The inconsolable father who lost his beloved son cried a lot and begged to return his child. Hearing the priest, the god Brahma asked to draw the deceased in order to revive him. As soon as a portrait of a boy appeared on the threshold of the house, the creator of the world breathed life into him. Since then, the art of applying rangoli is considered traditional in India.
There is another legend that tells about a goddess who wanted to marry and did not know how to surprise her chosen one. And once she painted an ornament of amazing beauty, which the groom liked so much that he immediately made an offer to his beloved. Since then, it has been the custom that girls who wish to marry worthy men draw rangoli.
What is it, we figured out. Now let's focus on the materials for applying drawings and the main motives.
What are rangoli made of? Main motives
Traditional Indian art is a very painstaking, time-consuming job. The basis for applying ornaments is most often made of sand, sawdust or crushed brick. The borders of the picture are laid out from the grains of cereals, and the image itself is made from rice flour, painted in different shades with the help of crayons, as well as spices with bright colors.
A flashlight or a lamp is placed in the middle of the pattern, which makes the composition voluminous, and traditional rangoli decorate with beads or flowers. What is it, residents of small villages in India, in which ancient decorative art thrives, are well aware.
Drawings with geometric patterns are performed, where each figure (rectangle, circle, triangle, square) has a special meaning. The subject of rangoli is diverse. The main motives of the laid out compositions are lotus flowers, sea shells, animals and birds, human figures, fruits, the image of Ganesha. Although it should be noted that it is not customary to draw the gods on the ground so as not to walk on them with their feet, so often such drawings are made on the walls.
Blessing for home
The art of creating paintings using colored bulk materials is of great interest to all tourists who have come to an exotic country. Of course, today Indian symbols are most often used as an element of decor, and initially they were given magical meaning. At sunrise, the women cleaned their homes and painted ornaments that bring blessings to the whole family and guests at home. It is believed that such a positive effect lasts all day.
We can say that the completed patterns are a prayer drawing, a tacit wish for yourself and those around you for all the best.
Rangoli for good luck
On the doorstep of the house, original ornaments adorn the house and greet all who enter. Since ancient times, colorful patterns have been considered symbols of good fortune, so every woman who cares about the positive aura of her home applies rankoli.
Now few people make ornaments from natural materials, and the practice of applying traditional patterns for India has almost disappeared. Nowadays, whole drawing kits are sold, consisting of multi-colored small stones, chemical paints and stencils that need to be filled.
Symbols and their meanings
In each work of art you can find symbolic images with a secret meaning. Rangoli is no exception, because here each ornament has its own meaning, understandable to the person who draws the picture.
Most often, the images have a round shape, which symbolizes the infinity of time. It should be remembered that there are no broken lines, through which evil spirits can easily penetrate. Traditional Indian characters are used. For example, an elephant means wisdom, and the sacred lotus flower means the power of creativity and indicates the purity of thoughts.
Colorful drawings in which even color matters
Rangoli patterns have been passed down from generation to generation for many centuries. Women strive to draw vivid drawings to attract the attention of Lakshmi, who loves the cleanliness and peaceful atmosphere in the house. Her appearance brings good luck and prosperity in all matters, therefore, all patterns are painted in honor of this goddess so that she deigns to visit the home.
Ornaments, where human figures are intertwined with images of animals and birds, mean the unity of people and the natural world.
If we consider the Indian symbols and their meanings, it should be noted that even color has its own meaning. Red shades indicate cleanliness, and therefore brides get married in a scarlet outfit. Goddess Lakshmi is not in vain dressed in purple robes, as this color means sensuality.
The composition in blue tones speaks of calmness and peace. Green shades symbolize life itself and happiness, but the black color, scaring away evil, often means death.
Diwali festival
Often people at festivals create the most incredible constructions of rank (what we already know what it is). For example, at the Diwali festival of lights, symbolizing the victory of good over evil, Indians draw ornaments of high complexity of any size with colored sand. For the festival, which takes place at the end of October, streets and houses of local residents are decorated with drawings that can rightly be called real works of art.
It is necessary to note a special meditative state in which a person who draws rangoli is immersed. This is a real magical process of creating mysterious ornaments, where each figure and color of the composition symbolizes something important.