A Holi Festival of Color and Spring

Volunteers Aayush Khadse (middle) and Aanya Gautam (right) help register participants for the Holi festival.

A haze of color lingers in the air as people throw vibrant powder in every direction. Bollywood music blares through the speakers as sari-adorned dancers take the stage.

A rainbow glaze speckles the crowd, and the aromas of saffron and turmeric permeate the air. Friends bombard each other with shades of red, green, and blue, signifying love, religion, and new beginnings.

All these details and more embody Holi, a Hindu festival that indicates the arrival of spring and symbolizes good over evil. Observed this year on March 13 and 14, Holi brings communities throughout the Hindu diaspora--India, Nepal, Bangladesh--- and even in the United States together.

Beautiful colored powder signifies the beginning of spring.

Holi Arrives in Zindler Park

Across the globe, Holi festivals take place, including the one I visited at Zindler Park in Bellaire, Texas, where hundreds of locals danced, ate samosas, and sprayed one another with colorful powders.

Adult and teen volunteers from the Bellaire Desi Group organized the event. Aayush Khadse, 16, helped register attendees for Holi and talked to me about the importance of putting the celebration together.

“It symbolizes a time when we can have a lot of fun with the people we love, make new connections, and celebrate such a rich Indian tradition,” he said.

A Celebration For All

Although Holi is a Hindu festival, people of all religions come together to celebrate the beginning of spring. Versha Yadav, a Holi attendee, brings her boyfriend, Joel Cummings, who is not Hindu, to bathe in a plethora of colors. She explained how Holi signifies new beginnings. “Holi is about springtime, my favorite season, which is why I love it so much. It’s about being reborn [and] everything is starting fresh. I just love it!” she exclaims.

Delicious food and polychromatic powder aren’t the only invigorating characteristics of the celebration. Several dancers and singers performed beautiful pieces, from the Indian national anthem to several Bollywood dances. Priya Nath of the T2 Dance Team, a female Bollywood dance company started by two physicians, says Holi means more than a religious tradition.

“Holi is the celebration of good over evil, but mostly it’s about celebrating [our] community, friends, and family,” she explains.

Kush stands with Shaan as a splash of color flies behind them.

Shaan Pathak also enjoys Holi every year and cherishes the event's inclusivity. “I feel like [many] people come together with Holi, and that’s super big. We get to see everyone [and we all] have fun. It’s a huge cultural impact on everyone as a whole.”

The Holi festival is a time for people of all races and backgrounds to revel in the idea that spring is a universal season of growth, joy, and color.