Abir is a dye common in India. It is used during the Holi festival, which is also called the festival of color, when people throw this colorful powder at each other. Abir is typically sold in markets prior to the festival.
Abir is available in synthetic or natural form. Its colors are derived from flower extracts, for instance aparajita, marigold, hibiscus and dopati. The dye is sometimes combined with mica powder to create a sparkling effect.
In Arabic, abir refers to perfume and is a female name. Abir is also a male name in Hebrew, meaning "brave".
Abir in Bengali refers to the reddish color of the sky during dusk. In an open sky during sunset the western edge of the sky forms some color between red and pink. Ancient Bengali scholars named this color as Abir. In this region, Abir is mostly used as a male name.
In classical and modern Bengali songs and poems, the word abir is used very commonly and has a very dignified literature value.