THE Swan Hill Colour Your Run is less than a week away, and two local residents of Indian background have explained how it captures the spirit of a traditional Hindu festival.
Archana Patney came to Swan Hill from India in 2007 and along with daughter Vrinda, told The Guardian that the origins of colour runs comes from an annual Indian celebration known as Holi.
“I’m from the north of India and it’s celebrated in a big way,” Archana said.
“India has so many different states and more or less it’s celebrated all around.”
In India, Holi festival is a public holiday celebrating the start of spring and the colour powder thrown up in the air and at each other was traditionally made from flowers and leaves.
Today more artificial powders are favoured and the colour to be used at Sunday’s Riverside Park fun run is made from corn flour and food dye.
For more on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (March 2).
