Every year around March comes the Hindu holiday Holi, or the festival of colors, which focuses on themes of joy and renewal. Holi occurs across two days with the most known day being when individuals cover each other in vibrant colors. Traditionally, it celebrates things such as seasonal harvests and the beginning of spring. Along with that, it was a chance to blur the lines of social class and gender to come together in mutual celebration. It is said to be marked by the Hindu legends of Kamadeva and Radha and Krishna. All of these are involved in the two-day celebration of Holi.
If you were on the back quad from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 21, then you may have come across a Holi festival celebration hosted by seniors Janki Patel and Mahaan Govender. This celebration focused on the second day where people wear white and throw colorful powder, or gulal, on each other. Each color has a different meaning, and the color gets washed off at the end of the day to symbolize beginning anew. The meaning behind these colors were written on the sidewalk in chalk to read as you walked up to the event.
Upon attending Holi, it was easy to see the amount of joy and fun each attendee was experiencing. There were canopies set up on the back quad, and under them were tables of colorful powder and students running back and forth while decorating each other in it (along with water guns and water balloons). “It was really awesome,” said senior Janki Patel, “a lot of people helped with it– a lot of faculty– including Chaplain Chris, the English department, and humanities.” Much like the point of this celebration, it was clear that many people came together for an important celebration for all to enjoy.
In a whirl of colors and fun, I managed to stop another attendee and ask some questions. When asked what his favorite part of Holi is, senior Ronek Chatwal said, “getting the chance to let loose and go outside with you friends and family.” Chatwal later said, “I want people to know that it’s okay to go crazy and to let loose.” Which, during the middle of the semester when stress begins to add up, is a sentiment that everyone could use. These words easily rang true when watching the clouds of colors form around each student as they danced or ran. So next time you have the chance to experience something new and appreciate a culture other than your own, consider taking that opportunity and letting loose for a while. 
References
https://www.hinduamerican.org/holi
https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-holi
J Rohland
Staff Reporter
