Updated as of 3:35 p.m. on April 9 to include the changed date of the event.
A Hindu tradition dating back to the fourth century, Holi, also known as the “festival of color,” is about to be celebrated at Elon.
The tradition signifies the end of winter and the beginning of spring with vibrant colors, love and rebirth.
While the actual date of Holi was celebrated on March 14th, Elon decided to celebrate the holiday during Elon’s Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The national API month is in May, but because students aren’t on campus for the entire month of May, API month is celebrated in April on Elon’s campus.
The Director of Multifaith Programming and Engagement, Hillary Zaken, said this event isn’t only for those identifying as Hindu.
“We want folks who have never heard of Holi before or celebrated Holi, or maybe they're back for the second time, to understand something new and interesting about why this matters,” Zaken said.
This event includes throwing colored powder in the air, leaving all those who attend covered in color.
Zaken said while the color part is what most students come for, she hopes this event is also educational.
“Of course, it's fun to throw color, right,” Zaken said. “A lot of people come for the color throwing part, but it's also important for us that they understand the meaning of the holiday and its significance within the Hindu tradition.”
In agreement with Zaken, the University Chaplain, Kristin Boswell, said having knowledge of other religions is beneficial.
“It's important for us to know about the religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions that are important to people in the world around us,” Boswell said.
Boswell said as the semester comes to an end, this time of year can be stressful. She said that coming to events such as Holi can be a way to relieve that stress.
“It's nice to take a pause or a break in some of the academic things that that students are doing, and to come out and to be in community and to share that with each other,” Boswell said.
While throwing color may be what most attendees look forward to at Holi, Elon’s Bollywood Dance group, Surtal, will be performing at the event.
Sophomore Santosh Gopalan, a dancer in Surtal, said that the group is his community on campus.
“When I found Surtal, that quickly became my anchor that grounded me to campus and I love it. Like every Tuesday Wednesday we get together, we have practice, and it's a fun community and I love them so much,” Gopalan said.
To Gopalan, Holi is about being with his community and celebrating his culture.
“It's just having fun with people, getting into Indian culture, and seeing how people show up and show out. And I think Surtal is very excited to perform for Holi,” Gopalan said.
The vice president and choreographer of Surtal, Anita Bhat, said that last year she didn’t participate in the throwing of color after her performance to keep her uniform clean, but with a change in outfits this year she’s ready to be as colorful as others.
“This semester we're gonna try and just wear like white t-shirts instead, so that we can't participate afterwards so I'm really excited about that,” Bhat said.
But at the end of the day Bhat said it all comes down to the culture and tradition of the holiday.
“I feel like it's always been a big part of my culture, and I know my mom always tells me stories about what she would be in India during Holi, which is like a big thing,” Bhat said.
For those who plan to attend, be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty, preferably a white shirt according to Gopalan.
“Take at least five showers to get all the powder off,” Gopalan said.
According to Surtal's Instagram, Holi has been moved from Friday April 11 to Friday April 25 at 4 p.m. on the Speakers Corner on Young Commons due to predicted weather conditions.