On March 25th, the South Asian Student Association at Lightridge High School held a Holi celebration, the first one in the school’s history. The celebration was attended both by people familiar with the celebration and those for whom it was a completely new experience. I was one of the latter group, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to be immersed in a culture’s ancient traditions and to learn more about those who celebrate the holiday.

The story of Holi is an interesting one. It centers on romance, the classic theme of good versus evil, and of course, color. According to the Hindu religion, there once was an evil king who commanded all of his subjects to worship him. His son, being a worshiper of Krishna, refused and as a result his father tried to kill him. The king never succeeded, even when tricking him to join his sister, who was immune to fire, on a burning pyre. Because of his sister’s wickedness, she lost her immunity and her brother gained it, signaling the triumph of good over evil, which Holi commemorates. Holi also has origins in another legend in which the Hindu God Krishna colored the face of his lover with powder. This is where Holi gets the tradition of throwing colored powder and also its designation as the festival of love.

The general consensus on the holiday among the people at the Lightridge Holi celebration was that Holi is primarily a joyful celebration. It seems like, for those in attendance, the word Holi has a direct connotation with the word fun. I did feel on the fence about celebrating a holiday I was unfamiliar with, but a participant in the festival of colors assured me that Holi is a holiday for everyone, telling me, “I feel like it’s just the festival of colors and having fun.”

During a Holi celebration, participants cover themselves in colored powder. These powders include a variety of hues, with each color having a different symbolic meaning. For example, rebirth and the arrival of spring is shown by the green powder used in the activities. The blue that I could see covering other faces represents the God Krishna who, as mentioned earlier, has a significant meaning in this festival.

While Holi is traditionally a Hindu holiday, I did see and talk to a diverse group of people ranging from Hindus to non Hindus to those who come from traditionally Hindu families but identify themselves as nonreligious. It’s evident from across America ,and even in our own Holi festival at Lightridge, that people are accepting the idea of Holi becoming a mainstream holiday. Everywhere I looked I could see people laughing and just genuinely enjoying themselves. From the shrieks of laughter to the loud catchy music, I couldn’t help but get into the Holi mood myself.

I had an amazing time celebrating Holi. At the end of the day when everyone was covered in a plethora of colors and preparing to go home, you could see the genuine happiness behind everyone’s eyes. It was in the last moments of the festival, friends patting each other on the back and throwing the remnant of the powder on each other, that you could see that Holi truly is the festival of love. Not just romantic affection, but also the type of love you have for a neighbor, for a friend. That is the beauty of Holi.