Holi at Home 2021 [decor and dining ideas]

March 28, 2021
Holi in 2021

Nestasia launches the colourful Banjara collection of tableware and decor made of wood and intricately hand painted in festive bright colours apt for the time of the year. The collection includes serve ware and tableware like trays, kettles as well as decor pieces like candles and rickshaw carts all for celebrating the festive season.

Holi is “The festival of colours” that commemorates the victory of good over evil and is celebrated as a thanksgiving for an abundant harvest season. Holi is a spring festival that fills the skies with vibrant colours of Abeer, Gulaal, Rang and hands full of Gujiya, Malpua and Kachori. It is that time of the year when friends and family get together to smear each other in colours with Rang, throw water balloons and aim water guns or Pichkari at each other and then scream in happiness, “Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai”!  It is also that time when everyone is dancing to the tunes of “Rang Barse” while munching on sumptuous dishes of “Holi Pakwan” along with some cooling drinks like Thandai and Sharbat.

Holi 2021

Like most other festivals, Holi too brings people together and fills each person with fun, frolic and joy. This year, the pandemic outbreak has taken away the big celebrations and brought in restrictions and some safety concerns. However, Holi celebrations can still continue to be memorable by celebrating with family and friends at home. With home celebrations becoming popular, Nestasia brings to you the "Banjara" collection with some tricks and tips on how to celebrate Holi at home with your loved ones. 


Holi Puja - Start with Gratitude

Several folk tales and traditional rituals are associated with Holi that mark the beginning of the festivals. Traditionally a large bonfire is lit for a ritual called Holika Dahan where a special Puja or worship is carried out by a large gathering of people. This time, it may not be possible to have a large gathering and a bonfire, but, it is definitely possible to carry out rituals and keep the traditions alive at home. Here’s how you can curate your Puja Thaali in a traditional, yet stylish way. 

Pooja thali
  • Pick a colourful tray like this handmade wooden tray and start adding all your Puja essentials. You can also pick a platter or a plate that goes well with your aesthetics. 
  • Start by placing your diya or add a traditional looking candle like these wooden tea light candle holders that are colourful and have a traditional design. The candles are so authentic that they can just be added as decor elements to the traditional Thaali.  
Candles
  • Any Pooja Thaali is incomplete without incense sticks that are said to clear out negative energy and also bring in subtle fragrance. This year, refuse your old incense stick holder and a twist to your Thaali. We’ve used our traditional salt and pepper shaker to hold our incense stick and move a notch up with our decor game. 
  • It is time to add the evergreen or let's say ever bright marigolds or Genda Phool to your tray, because Holi is incomplete without colours. Instead of simply putting them on to your plate, place them in this mini truck to have a truck full of flowers. Your Thaali will not only look more organised but it will also add so much fun to your rituals. 
  • Add a sweetening touch of Holi sweets on to your tray by placing a bowl full of them. You can use a quirky holder like our wooden carts to display the laddoo and gujiya.  
Holi Pooja

Nestip: Use earthen bowls and earthen glasses (or Kulhad) to place sweets and some colours in the tray. The earthen crockery will not only look authentic but also break the colour palate.  

Holi Food - Paint your Plate

There is no festival that is complete without lip smacking snacks and traditional meals, and as for Holi, it screams food. Holi is a festival that is every gourmand’s delight and we can easily see why! A riot of colours run wild not only in the vicinity but also on the well-set table decorated with this variety of colourful delicacies. Get ready to dive into mouth watering dishes like Gujjiya from UP, Malpua from Rajasthan, Thandai from the North, Puran Poli from Maharashtra, Aaloo Ke Gutke from Uttarakhand and other irresistible food like Til ke Laddoo, Bhaang Peda, Kesar Kheer, Dahi Bhalle and Kachoris. While you make these at home, let us help you plate and present your traditional dishes in a fun way to make your Holi meal memorable. If you like to experiment with your dishes, hop on to our blog - 5 Traditional Recipes With A Twist.

Food for Holi

Are you already thinking about Gujiyas and plating them? Here’s how you should try serving them this time. Look at our colourful carts (or Thelas) - don’t they look perfect for the perfect Gujjiyas, kachoris and everything else that you are thinking of eating? 

  • Pick a colourful tray like this one that is slightly heightened and place a butter paper or tissue on the surface. Start plating them on to the tray in a vertical direction to make them look more sumptuous than they already look.
Holi food
  • Who said that a kettle can only serve tea or coffee? We are going to add a twist by serving Thandai and Sharbat from these quirky Kettles. 
    Holi Setup
  • Desi Kettles are incomplete without the mini glasses or as we like to call them “Cutting Chai” glasses. Pick some glasses and fit them into these Cutting Chai Stand from the collection that match the vibe of the kettle and the festival.  
Kettle
  • In case you like to add slight intoxication to your celebration, we have a moving bar set up for you. Our mini Wooden Trucks can hold your alcohol bottles or shot glasses and can also move around with you. Don’t forget to keep these bottle openers to compliment your trucks and help you with the bottle caps. 

Bottle opener

Nestip: Place the kettles on the wooden trays along with the salt and pepper shakers to compliment your food serving. 

Holi Self Care - Share some Love

Whether you play holi outdoors like regular years or keep a small gathering at home, splattering colours on each other is inevitable. Gulaal or Abeer (in Bengali) were traditionally derived from plants, flowers and spices. Pink colour came from roses, green from plants or leaves, yellow from turmeric, orange from marigold and blue from indigo. While most colours in the market have chemical ingredients, it is also possible to get your hands on some organic colours or make them at home. If you want to know how to make colours at home, check out our blog on Holi Special - Do It Yourself.

Since this year, we may not be able to meet all our loved ones and celebrate with them, we have curated a self care hamper for you. You can create your own hamper in a similar fashion and send it across as Holi greetings or can make one for yourself. These self care hampers are a great way of showing love and care.

Holi Self Care
  • Pick a colourful tray to start curating your self care hamper. No points for guessing the tray that we have chosen.
  • Start with the basic - Coconut oil. Place a bottle of coconut oil or any other body and hair oil that can be smeared on the skin and hair. Coconut oil creates a shield on the skin aids in the removal of holi colours. 
  •  Add a bottle of mild shampoo and body wash or soap that will help you get rid of the colours from your skin and hair. It is possible to have complaints about dry and itchy skin after playing holi. To revitalise your skin post all the scrubbing, don’t forget to add moisturizer to your self care hamper. 
Self Care
  • A comforting bath is completed with some relaxing aroma. Pick an aroma candle that will help you relieve your tiredness and lift your spirits with its fragrance.
Aroma Candle
  • In case you are planning on gifting the hamper to your loved ones, you can also add these colouful photo frames with a picture of your favourite memory. You can also add the musical showpieces to add decor elements to your hamper.

Nestip: If you like to have everything organic, you can also make a homemade paste called ‘Ubtan’ that can be used as a soap, scrub or face pack. Ubtan can be made with flowers that are pounded to mix into a paste with milk, yoghurt, saffron powder and sandalwood. 

Holi Decor - Colour your Home

Why leave the colours out of the homes when it is the festival of colours? With the celebration at home this time, let’s look at adding pop of colours to our houses instead of covering the rugs and couches with old sheets. All you need to do is, bring out the bright decor products that will fit right in the festival. Let’s look at some ways to make our homes look special for the holi house party with some decor ideas. Blend in a decor setting to make your house look traditional yet contemporary. 

Holi Decor
  • Start with the floors in the house. Choose colorful rugs, doormat and carpets that compliment your interior and will create a sense of ambiance in your home. If you plan to play with colours at home, choose the darker shade rugs, so that it cannot spoil in Holi colors or go for some colourful bright shades if you are avoiding colours. 

 Rugs for Holi

  • Deck up your living room, dining room and bed room with some colourful cushion covers that match your rugs or carpet and blend into the Holi vibe. Go for some traditional looking colourful cushions that have thread work or mirror work to add festive beauty and charm to your home interiors. 
  • Flowers are always a great way to add freshness and festive cheer to the decor setting. Genda Phool or marigold flowers are parallel to Holi. Traditionally, holi was celebrated with colourful flowers which is popularly known as “Phoolon Ki Holi’, that has also become a trend now. 

You can also pick some colourful artificial flowers from our garden section and let them add delight to your decor setting. 

Nestip: In case you don’t want to go for flowers, one can also borrow some colourful dupattas or the Leheriya Dupattas that will do the work of draping on the windows like curtains. 

Once you are done with the furnishing, get on to the smaller decor elements that will make a big difference to your Holi Celebration. For the festival full of fun and frolic, one mustn't leave any corner without decor. We have some amazing home decor accents that are quirky, Desi and just right for the festival of colours.

Showpiece for Holi

  • The musical showpieces come as a set of 6. The showpieces show 6 men playing folk instruments wearing a traditional Rajasthani attire with a “Pagadi” and moustache. Place these little figurines on a countertop or on the tv mantel. You can also add a jute matt under the figurines to make them pop. 
Rickshaw
  • The multi coloured wooden rickshaw is tailor made for festivals and occasions like Holi. You can place them on the coffee table or on the side table to elevate each table setting with the element of decor and colour. These rickshaws are also movable and have a flexible roof.

Auto rickshaw

  • The wooden auto rickshaw is complementary to the colourful rickshaws. It can add so much of an Indian vibe to any center table, mantel top or consoles. 
Photo frames
  • Our wooden photo frames are uniquely quirky that have animal figurines in the frame that can rotate. The animal figurines of birds and animals like elephants and peacocks are hand painted in the traditional form to add to the colourful vibe of the festival. You can use it to display a picture with the loved ones or can also place it as a display tag for your food menu. 

Need we mention that every Holi decor setting has to be accompanied by Rang, Gulaal, balloons, pichkaris and flowers? You can also get your hands on some funky accessories like oversized shades, moustaches or message boards to pose with. 

Complete all your inhouse Holi decor and add final touches with a playlist curated for Holi. Afterall, which Holi is complete without the music and beats of “Rang Barse” and “Balam Pichkari”?


Tell us how you celebrated Holi with your loved ones, in the comment section below!

Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!

Happy Holi from Nestasia!!

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