How to make rangoli

A rangoli is built in the same order every time: prepare the floor, find the centre, sketch the design, fill the colours, then tidy the edges. This guide walks through each stage.

1. Prepare the floor

Choose a flat place away from the swing of the door and the path of feet. Sweep it, wipe it with a damp cloth and let it become almost dry. A slightly damp floor holds powder better than a dusty or a wet one. On glossy tiles, powder slides, so draw a little smaller and warn the family that powder on tiles is slippery.

2. Mark the centre and the size

Put a chalk dot where the middle will be. Tie chalk to one end of a string, hold the other end on the dot, and swing the chalk around to draw a circle. Draw one circle for each ring of the design.

3. Divide the circle evenly

Four and eight parts: mark top and bottom, then left and right. For eight, add one mark halfway between each pair. For sixteen, halve again.
Six and twelve parts: keep the string at the same length as the radius and step it around the circle from any starting mark. It fits exactly six times. Halve each gap for twelve.
Five and seven parts: mark by eye, then adjust the marks until the gaps look equal before drawing anything.

4. Sketch with chalk

Draw the whole design lightly in chalk, from the centre outward. Chalk rubs off with a damp finger, so this is the time to correct shapes. Powder comes later and hides the chalk.

5. Fill the colours

The pinch: take powder between thumb and two fingers and rub them gently so that it falls in a thin stream. Keep your hand low, a few centimetres above the floor.
Helpers: a tea strainer spreads colour evenly over large areas. A paper cone or a squeeze bottle with a small hole draws fine lines. A spoon is good for dots.
Order: fill from the centre outward so you never lean over finished work. Fill large areas first and thin lines last.
White last: a white outline around each shape, added at the end, sharpens the whole design.

6. Fix mistakes

Push stray powder back with a dry paintbrush or the edge of a card. If two colours have mixed, lift the patch with a spoon and refill it. A dark colour will cover a light one, but not the other way round.

7. Keep it and clean it

A rangoli lasts until wind, water or feet reach it. Indoors, it can stay for the whole festival. To remove it, sweep the powder into a dustpan while dry. Do not wash coloured powder into drains or garden soil. Flower petals and rice flour can go into compost or to the birds.

Start with an easy design