The UC Davis Indian Student Association will host an official event to commemorate the Hindu holiday
BY DEVANSHI AGNIHOTRI — arts@theaggie.org
A rainbow of colors will fill the sky and water balloons will burst with colored water, because March 14 marks the official time for the annual Hindu holiday, Holi. Celebrated as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi is celebrated on a different day each year to mark the end of winter and the start of spring. The celebration occurs on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna, typically on the 12th month in the Hindu calendar.
The Hindu “Festival of Colors” honors the triumph of good over evil, with people lighting bonfires to say their goodbyes to winter, throwing bright powders and water and ringing in the change in seasons.
Holi is celebrated in a variety of ways — the day before Holi is known as Chhoti Holi, and a bonfire is lit to symbolize good over evil. On Holi, people gather together and throw colored powder and water at anyone they see. For the celebration, people typically wear the oldest clothes in their closet, preparing for them to get ruined with colored powder and water; Each swipe of color on a person’s face is a moment of endearment.
In addition to the colored powder, water also gets involved in the celebration. Many people use water guns, water balloons or even buckets of water and playfully splash water at each other. Saanvi Bapu, a third-year cell biology major and president of UC Davis Indian Student Association (UCDISA), described first-hand experience of the festivities.
“You go in with a set of friends and you’re just playing [alongside] them, but at some point, everyone is usually just playing [alongside] each other,” Bapu said. “You’re just throwing up colors in the air, and you can make new friends in the process. Even if you don’t talk to them and names aren’t exchanged, you’re all just having fun with the people there.”
The Indian Student Association at UC Davis is a student-run organization that focuses on highlighting Indian culture at UC Davis and works with other South Asian organizations. The organization hosts gatherings on Hindu holidays like Diwali and Holi, as well as holds the Garba Night, Davis Dhwani and study social events.
“The Indian Student Association at UC Davis is the only undergraduate [student-run] organization at [UC Davis] that allows for Indian as well as other students interested in Indian cultures and traditions to unite under one common organization,” the UCDISA website reads. “Our main goals are to bring the UC Davis community closer through holding social events for cultural awareness [and] fundraising for the underprivileged community.”
Holi is a lively event and acts as an easy mode of connecting with others without having to socialize. Students far from home may be missing the traditions with their family such as the sweets their parents would make or the matching Holi outfits, but the Davis community brings similar sentiments to the local celebration — fostering a cultural connection within the college town.
“You might not find these events so easily in a lot of places, especially for the students from India that may be missing these festivals,” Bapu said. “One of our main goals is to host these kinds of events so students can feel more connected to their culture.”
For those interested in celebrating the holiday, bring your friends and show your love by spreading some color at the official UCDISA Holi event on April 19. For students unable to attend the celebration, remain up to date with UCDISA’s future events and club membership by accessing the UCDISA’s Instagram page and website.
Written by: Devanshi Agnihotri—arts@theaggie.org
