Holi 25' - A New Favorite Holi-day
As the Spring Break kicked off, I ended my musical week with a brand new experience; Saturday, March 15 presented Holi, the Celebration of Colors, at the multipurpose fields on campus. Holi is a holiday originating from North India & Nepal, yet is a tradition spread around the world for Indian communities to devout. The events consist of loud music, colorful powders, and colors from water guns being dispersed around to cover everybody with vibrant complexions. The general sentiment I understood walking in for this event is to set aside differences and celebrate the friends and community around you.
As I walked in, I was introduced to people applying the color on my face with two fingers; “Holi Hai!” (translated ‘It’s Holi!’) was a phrase that was frequented as I asked for color from my peers. Hospitality was plentiful, as everywhere I walked I was greeted with contagious smiles and ecstatic excitement. The shouts of Hindu lyrics erupted from the crowd, with the music being riddled with loud bass, oscillation, ever-shifting repeated phrases and even the occasional use of electric guitars in ways I had never heard before.
“Enjoy!” was the only thing said to me after asking a new-made friend what Holi meant to them; One word spoke volumes to how I was approaching my time in the field. A group I came across fully embraced my presence, and invited me to their circle to dance with them. They were elated to share with me their dances, often all shouting fanatically when I mirrored their shimmies. The dances were structured around rhythmic phrases, with each next dance move building upon the last. Dance moves I learned from this gathering expanded upon how to use my upper body, giving me new ideas on how to connect to the lower body giving me quite the workout. The dances were plentiful and completely new to me, connecting me to a world of new possibilities.
As the music began to fade and people began to settle down, drops of rain fell from the sky to give everybody a cooling end to a vivid afternoon. I bounded new friendships in my cross-cultural peers and learned so much about the beautiful tradition India has to offer. Overall the weekend was one of the best events I experienced all year, leaving me only wanting more. The inviting culture of India is one that continues to wow me, with the country pride being available for anyone to engage in.
“[Holi is] A time to celebrate for the youth, a time to release all your cares’ and responsibilities and just have a good time with friends,” as described by a new friend. The message I got from the limited time I spent at the campus event was this: Holi has many interpretations regarding the meaning, origins, and historical backgrounds. The common denominator for it all, however, is to celebrate the gift of life with community, something that I believe is integral to the human experience.
