Hundreds of students gathered on the quad in front of the Kay Spiritual Life Center on Sunday, April 6 to throw colored powder and buckets of water. It was part of the celebration of Holi, the Indian festival of colors and love. The event was sponsored by the South Asian Student Association, which provided the 350 pounds of colored powder, 60 water guns and 300 samosas for everyone to enjoy.

Holi originated in India but has become a new trend on college campuses. In Hindi tradition, the festival is meant to commemorate the triumph of good over evil and letting go of grudges, in addition to the “rebirth” of spring from winter. And after a long and bitter winter, students were very enthusiastic to spend their “quad-ing” time in a celebration of the new warm weather.

“After such a dark and depressing winter with no color, it’s wonderful to feel full of color and be alive again,” said Ella Beaudoin, a freshman who spontaneously left TDR brunch to spontaneously joined the celebration.

The festival opened with a feast of free vegetable samosas and a performance of traditional Indian dances put on by Jhoom and AU Bhangra, two clubs dedicated to Bollywood-style dancing.

“We were all so excited and happy to be there and dancing was the perfect way to express how we felt,” said Sanjana Hariprasad, one of the eight dancers who preformed before the festival began. “It was one of my favorite performances”.

Following the dance, pink, purple, green and orange packs of color were thrown into the crowd and water hoses were provided to fill the buckets and water guns of the people lucky enough to grab them first. After two hours, people gradually left the festival, their clothes and faces completely covered in the multi-colored powder.

“I swear I will find powder somewhere on me until the middle of the
summer,” said Peter Schmitz-Morfe, with colorful powder-caked face. “But it was worth it.”