Janmashtami 2019: Dahi Handi Decoration Ideas To Make This Festival More Beautiful

Wednesday, August 21, 2019, 18:14

Dahi Handi is a fun filled way of Janmashtami celebrations. It calls for special festival decorations in your house and outside it. This year the festival is on 24th August and in some places it will be celebrated on 25th August as well.

Dahi handi is basically an earthen pot decorated and strung from a height. The young boys of the family or locality make pyramid formations to climb on top of each other and break the pot. They dress up a child like baby Krishna; this child is handed upwards and he is the one to finally break the 'handi'. This is an interesting custom followed in India that involves lots of excitement, teasing and name calling.

The most important part of this festival decoration is the decoration of the 'dahi handi'. This is usually traditional but you can make it funky too because this is a custom that involves having fun. Here are some tips for you to keep in mind while decorating your home for Janmashtami celebrations.

Tips To Decorate Dahi Handi:

Add a vibrant colour to your handi: As the handi is an earthen pot you can use your creativity to paint it in bright colors. Choose colors that stand out keeping the exuberance of the occasion in mind. Moreover, the pot will be hanging from a height so the audience and also the handi-breakers need to see it clearly. If it is dull then it will fade into the background.

Paint faces on the handi: You can paint cute portraits of baby Krishna on the earthen pot. You can also paint an animated picture to make it look more appealing to kids. When you are painting pictures or characters make sure you paint something on all sided. This is because of the round symmetry of the pot. It should be visible from all sides or else one side will look less grand that the other.

Flower adornments: Puja decorations always involve flowers because it is sacred in Indian culture. In case of Dahi handi it also serves an important purpose other than decorating. Wrap garlands of flowers around the strings of rope that will hold the handi at a height. It will look beautiful but apart from that it will make the ropes stronger. This custom involves a lot of pushing and pulling; water as well. So if the ropes collapse, the pot might fall on somebody's head and injure them. Usually, local flowers are used for this purpose but you could be a little different and use orchids or marigolds to decorate the handi.

Use Coconut Shell: This coconut shell which is placed on top of the pot is the instrument used to break it. You could decorate it like a knife for cake cutting. Tie different colored ribbons around it. Make bows or other shapes with those ribbons. You could also paint the coconut shell if you want. Remember, the louder your decoration the better it is because most people are going to see it from a distance.

Dahi handi is a festival filled with lots of colors. Decorating a beautiful handi will surely add beauty to your life.