Colors of all kinds fly through the air. Everyone within reach experiences a shower of vibrant, rainbow powders known as gulal. The powder meshes onto their clothes, sinks into their scalps, and stains their bodies. People laugh, dance, and celebrate the coming of the spring season. This is the festival of Holi.

Holi is an ancient Hindu tradition that embraces the triumph of good over evil and welcomes the season of spring. Celebrated in early March, Holi is a lively and colorful festival that is all about having fun.

Within MN, a Holi celebration was organized by a group of students – the South Asian Association.

The South Asian Association is a club new to MN this year and is already making an impact on its members.

“Considering that we have so many special holidays and celebrations, we thought it would be cool to create a group of people that would help celebrate these things within our school together,” junior Vishaal Arunprasad said.

The club planned for their Holi festivities to be held on March fifth at Zorinsky Lake. The guarantee of food, fun, and fellowship made for a special experience.

“People bring food and different games, but the main celebration is the color festival,” Arunprasad said.

While Holi is a festival dedicated to color, white clothes are typically worn to the celebration. After an afternoon of throwing around powders, these garments are now left new and colorful, streaks of rainbows that are woven into the fabric.

“We get to wear [these clothes] as an expression of our culture and show what Holi’s all about, which is beauty and color,” Aruprasad said.

Diving deep into the dishes, a variety of foods are also enjoyed at the festival of Holi.

“There was food from North and South India, during Holi people eat a lot of sweets,” said sophomore Sumanas Maram.

One commonly consumed sweet treat is gujia. Gujia are sweet, deep fried dumplings filled with a mixture of dried fruits, grated coconut, and a milk fudge called khoya. Lots of other Indian dishes are served as well.

“I made a curry called chole, it’s chickpeas and gravy and is pretty popular,” said Maram.

By organizing events such as Holi, the South Asian Association has helped both South Asian students and students of other cultures embrace and appreciate their heritage.

“It’s helped me get more in tune with my culture. Usually, I’m not very participative in events like this, but now with the South Asian Association, I can spread my culture and let people know how much fun it is to participate in things like this,” Arunprasad said.

Non-South Asian students also take part in the club and celebrations. The Holi festival was open for all to attend, spreading the special Hindu culture to all MN students.

“It taught me a lot about how other people celebrate, it was very eye opening,” said senior Yazeed Abayazid

Let this be a sign to take a closer look at those around you, learn about their cultures. Who knows, you might end up at a beautiful Holi festival, or something just as magical.