 "Photo: Ryan Killian")
 "Photo: Ryan Killian")
An array of colors covered students' faces, clothes and the grass of the South Mall in celebration of the Hindu festival of colors, Holi, sponsored by the Hindu Students Council Sunday.
The national day of Holi, which was officially Saturday, celebrates the coming of spring, said Anupama Alturu, event organizer and a business honors sophomore.
The festival included games, contests, music and students running around throwing rung, or colored powder, at each other. Students were covered from head to toe in the powder, one of the festival's traditions. The festival is also usually accompanied with music that includes a dhol, an Indian drum.
The festival comes from Hindu tradition. The colors come from Hindu deities Radha and Krishna, and the spreading of colors represents equality and harmony between people. The day is celebrated with a bonfire on the day of a full moon and involves throwing the colored powder, which is usually combined with water, Alturu said.
"In India, this is how they would celebrate it, and we just try to recreate it here," said Neha Verma, chapter coordinator of the council and marketing senior.
Verma said when colors are put on each other, it is symbolic of the colors returning to Earth and everything coming to color and life in the springtime. The color on faces is also a sign of blessing, Verma said.
The festival includes games and contests, because it's more of a social event rather than a religious one, Verma said. Other activities included contests of who was the most covered in rung, a race where participants run with a lime on a spoon in their mouth and a three-legged race. The council sponsored music, food, plenty of water balloons and rung.
Krupa Patel, a government senior, said it was a tradition for her and her friends to come out to the free festival and having it on campus made it easier for other people to join as well.
The council raises money for the festival from their annual cultural show that showcases classical Indian art and Indian performing arts, including dance and music.
Be the first to comment on this article!