Holi is a popular ancient Hindu festival that celebrates the arrival of spring, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love. The holiday took place on March 18th, 2022. Honoring the cultural event in its own way, the Marriotts Ridge community celebrated Holi with excited spirits.
Holi is a festival that puts heavy emphasis on the many features of both external and divine love. For many, including students at Marriotts Ridge, it is a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships.
“You can expect a lot of things during a Holi festival. A lot of people do traditional dance performances and get beautiful henna tattoos. A Holi festival can get wild; think of big crowds, colored dye, water guns, music, and partying. You dance through the streets and throw colored dye on each other. The festival is a happy time when people get together and let go of their inhibitions,” junior Inaya Das said.
With everything that goes on during Holi, students reminicised on the fact that major preparations are always required for the big day.
“You wouldn’t need to bring drinks or food to the festival because that stuff is already provided. What you would want to come in is either a basic white t-shirt, pants, or a long dress. You don’t want to wear anything expensive since colored dye will get on clothes no matter if it’s thrown at you or not. If you do wear a long dress, make sure it’s a dress that you can pin up and make sure to wash it at the end of the festival because that dress is never going to be white ever again” sophomore Diya Devi said.
Especially in small towns in India like Pushkar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Udaipur, festivities can be overwhelming in size. The official festival begins with Holika Dahan, the ritual burning of pyres that takes place the night before. This tradition is mostly followed in regions including North India, Nepal and South India.
“Everyone is allowed to join in the festival. Some tribes in the Northeast also celebrate this festival of colors. The biggest celebration happens in Mathura-Vrindavan, Pushkar and Varanasi. For a western tourists, being anywhere in Rajasthan is a fantastic idea for Holi,” junior Sana Singh said.
Holi is celebrated around the world, although the festivities predominantly occur in India and Nepal. Owing to the charisma of Holi and the presence of Indians abroad, Holi is celebrated with much fervor throughout the world. In the same spirit, the Marriotts Ridge community honored Holi and is enthusiastic about what next year’s festival will have in store.