Forget firecrackers this Diwali; adorn your home with different rangoli designs

A lot of people declutter their homes in Diwali and decorate it with lights and rangolis. This year Diwali will be celebrated on 14 November. According to the Hindu almanac, the festival of lights falls on Amavasya or new moon, on the 15th day of the Kartik month.

While bursting crackers has been banned by states and Union Territories in India, one can always herald in the festivities using colourful rangolis.

The word Rangoli comes from two words, 'Rang' and 'Aavali', which means rows of colours. Rangoli patterns are usually made using chalk, rice powder and crushed limestone.

A rangoli design is created at the entrance of a house not just for decorative purposes, but it is believed that it is a welcome sign for Goddess Lakshmi dyring Diwali. The colourful motifs and patters are also supposed to prevent evil from entering the house.

There can be several types of rangolis one can adorn their homes with. Here are a few examples:

Flower rangoli

One of the best and most eco-friendly ways to create beautiful motifs for the home during Diwali is flower rangoli. Marigolds are one of the best flowers for its bright hue and distinct petal shape. Other flowers can also be incorporated to create a design. A variation of the floral rangoli could be the incorporation of diyas to it, which will make it look even more beautiful.

Rangoli with abeer

One of the most common and traditional way of creating a rangoli. In this method, artists need to create a pattern of their choice and then fill in the design with one's preferred choice of colours. The design can be completed by outlining the pattern with white rice powder.

Mirror rangoli

A new trend, one needs to go to the market and buy mirrors of various shapes and sizes, keeping a basic design in mind. Then using colours, flowers and diyas, one can fill in the gaps and decorate around the edge of the mirrors to create a beautiful design.

Another way of creating a beautiful rangoli could be by using grains and pulses. A rangoli made of pulses could very well seem like an offering to Goodess Lakshmi for when she visits one's abode. Pulses mixed with flowers and mirrors could also make a beautiful design.