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Rangoli and kolam

AI-drafted · awaiting admin review

Patterns drawn at the doorstep with rice flour or colours to welcome guests and the divine.

Where: All of IndiaWhen: Every morning in many homes; especially at festivals

How it is performed

  1. The threshold is cleaned and sprinkled with water.
  2. A grid of dots is laid out with rice flour and lines are drawn around them in continuous loops (kolam), or freehand designs are filled with coloured powders and flowers (rangoli).
  3. Names differ by region: kolam (Tamil Nadu), muggu (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), alpana (Bengal), mandana (Rajasthan), aipan (Uttarakhand), chowk purana (Uttar Pradesh).

Significance

It invites prosperity and welcomes guests. Rice-flour kolams also feed ants and birds, a daily act of sharing with other living beings.

Sources