Amid a backdrop of upbeat Desi and American songs, about 500 University of Michigan students and community members threw colored powder on one another, turning Regents Plaza into an area full of colorful smoke and a sea of people singing and dancing Sunday afternoon. The gathering featured a DJ booth and bags of colored powder for attendees to grab to celebrate this year’s Holi festival.
Holi, the Festival of Colors, is a Hindu celebration that celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring, which typically occurs in March. The event was hosted by the Indian American Student Association, Hindu Student Club and Indian Student Association.
After being postponed two weeks ago due to poor weather conditions, the event was rescheduled on a warm day to allow attendees to comfortably wear white T-shirts and dance beneath the sun. Attendees left the event covered in brightly-colored powder from head to toe.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA junior Niharica Suri Kannan, IASA co-president, said Holi is a fun event that allows attendees to celebrate culture and community.
“Holi is just about celebrating our community together and playing with colors,” Kannan said. “You’ll see a bunch of us wearing white, so we’re just going to throw powdered color on everyone. It’s just a fun time to celebrate the South Asian community, all of us being here together.”
Rackham student Arushi Sharma is an international student from India. In an interview with The Daily, Sharma said Holi is an opportunity to come together and celebrate.
“It’s about bringing friends and family together and having fun with color,” Sharma said. “I really enjoy it, especially in this busy life.”
Engineering junior Yana Patel, IASA co-president, said in an interview with The Daily that IASA brings Holi to the U-M community for students who otherwise might not be able to celebrate.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been going every year with my family to an event like this,” Patel said. “It’s a really fun thing we look forward to every year, so bringing it to college, where if there’s out-of-state students who can’t go to a Holi festival somewhere nearby, it’s just a good way to bring that culture here.”
In an interview with The Daily, Engineering sophomore Shourya Bansal said he was most excited about interacting with the colored powder.
“I think Holi is a fantastic fusion of Indian culture and festivities,” Bansal said. “It’ll be a great time with friends, …throwing some color at them and being unrecognizable after the event.”
Daily Staff Reporter Christina Zhang can be reached at zchristi@umich.edu.