2007年VOA标准英语-India's Colorful Holi Celebration Has Some Seei

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
03 March 2007

On Sunday India heralds¹ the arrival of spring with the festival of Holi. While Holi is a Hindu ritual, it is celebrated² with bonfires and parties by Indians of all religions. But one aspect of Holi is prompting health concerns. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.

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A girl, color smeared on her face, looks on during Holi celebrations in Calcutta, India

The ancient Hindu festival of Holi, celebrating the triumph of good over bad, is certainly one of India's most colorful holidays. People paint each other's faces by hand, or spray dyes from a pump, with a cheer of:

"Bura na maano Holi hai!"

Loosely translated, the chant means, "Don't let this bother you, because today is Holi."

But some environmentalists, physicians and even the police are expressing concern over Holi. It turns out that the colors people splash on each other can be dangerous.

While the vivid mixtures were once derived⁴ solely⁵ from plants, the colors sold nowadays at roadside stalls are frequently industrial dyes.

At the Delhi Skin Clinic, dermatologist⁶ Vijendra Kaushik says he sees a surge in patients complaining of skin problems immediately after Holi.

"They can cause contact dermatitis, as well as irritant dermatitis," he said.  "Many times, some miscreants⁷, they mix some acids or toxic⁸ things in that, so that can cause burns also."

Dangerous chemicals and metals found in Holi paints include chromium, nickel, and cadmium.  The red sometimes contains highly toxic mercuric sulfate.  And ophthalmologists warn revelers to keep an eye out for green, which frequently is made of copper⁹ sulfate, which is capable of causing puffiness and even temporary blindness.

Delhi dermatologist Kaushik says an ounce of prevention and patience can reduce the side effects of Holi.

"Before you play Holi you must apply liberal oil on your skin - plain coconut¹⁰ oil, good emollient¹¹, so that when you take a bath it will come off easily," he added.  "Do not use detergents¹² or strong caustics¹³ to remove your colors. It may take two days, three days, four days, [but] it will come off."

The hazards have prompted officials and private organizations to launch campaigns warning of the dangers of chemical dyes, and promoting the use of safe ingredients.

Supporters of the all-natural Holi movement say they hope the effort will help the holiday return to its more holistic¹⁴ roots.

1 heralds   

n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The song of birds heralds the approach of spring. 百鸟齐鸣报春到。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain. 山雨欲来风满楼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 smeared   

弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上

参考例句：

• The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
• A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。

4 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

6 dermatologist   

n.皮肤科医师

参考例句：

• I think you should see a dermatologist first.我想你应当先看皮肤科大夫。
• The general practitioner referred her patient to a dermatologist.家庭医生把她的病人交给了皮肤科医生。

7 miscreants   

n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I ordered the miscreants to let me out. 我命令这些土匪放我出去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Local people demanded that the District Magistrate apprehend the miscreants. 当地人要求地方法官逮捕那些歹徒。 来自辞典例句

8 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

9 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

10 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

11 emollient   

n.镇痛剂；缓和药；adj.使柔软的；安慰性的，起镇静作用的

参考例句：

• The central character is a deceptively emollient senior figure in a Conservative Government.核心人物是保守党政府内一个貌似仁和的高层人物。
• Glycerine is the preferred emollient.甘油是首选的润滑剂。

12 detergents   

n.洗涤剂( detergent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Such detergents do not yellow the wool as alkali tends to do. 这种洗涤剂不会象碱那样使羊毛发黄。 来自辞典例句
• Development of detergents has required optimization of the surfactants structure. 发展洗涤剂时，要求使用最恰当的表面活性剂结构。 来自辞典例句

13 caustics   

n.苛性的( caustic的名词复数 )；腐蚀性的；尖刻的；刻薄的

参考例句：

• Prism effect. A rainbow pattern appears on the refracted light caustics. 棱镜效果一个彩虹图案显现在折射光的焦散里。 来自互联网
• Attenuation, Scattering, Modeling water surface, Light shafts, Caustics. 衰减，散射，水面建模，光线束，焦散。 来自互联网

14 holistic   

adj.从整体着眼的，全面的

参考例句：

• There is a fundamental ambiguity in the use of word "whole" in recent holistic literature.在近代的整体主义著作中，“整体”这个词的用法极其含混。
• In so far as historicism is technological,its approach is not piecemeal,but "holistic".仅就历史决定论是一种技术而论，它的方法不是渐进的，而是“整体主义的”。