Colorful powder filled the air over Nameless Field Saturday as over 200 University community members celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. Hosted by Hindu Students Council, the festival served as a gathering space for students to honor Hindu traditions and show their appreciation for members of the University community.
The celebration began with a puja, which is a prayer ceremony, followed by aarti, a religious ritual involving ringing bells and waving a lighted wick in front of the image of a deity. Attendees then enjoyed lunch catered from Milan and dance performances by HSC and Sitaare, an Indian classical dance group.
At the end of the scheduled programming, attendees grabbed cups filled with bright powder and engaged in the Holi tradition of playfully throwing color at each other. From pouring color over someone’s head to smudging powder across someone’s cheek, the act of coloring others during Holi is often a form of affection and appreciation, according to Niki Patel, HSC events director and third-year College student.
“It's just a different way of saying that you love them,” Patel said.
Dating back to the fourth century, Holi originated in the Indian subcontinent and has spread throughout the world, although it remains most commonly celebrated in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries. Along with ushering in the new season, the festival commemorates the triumph of good over evil and the love of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna.
As a major religious festival, Holi holds a deep significance for many University students who do not often have the opportunity to practice Hindu traditions on Grounds. Devasish Pant, HSC senior advisor and fifth-year Engineering student, said that as there is no Hindu temple in Charlottesville, HSC aims to provide a religious community for Hindu students.
“I’m really proud of the work we do in making sure that Hindus have a space … to practice our faith, be part of our traditions and especially share that with our friends and the rest of the U.Va. community,” Pant said.
Having been part of HSC for many years, Pant said he has witnessed growth in HSC events since his first year, when Holi was virtual due to COVID-19. He described how HSC executive members have worked to reconnect with the student body and student organizations since the pandemic.
“We're on the track of bringing things back up to how they used to be, and I think even more, we've grown it even bigger than what they used to be,” Pant said.
Celebrating Holi on Grounds is especially significant for many international students, who may not be able to return to their home country for the festival. Graduate Engineering student Chaitanya Shahane, who came to the University from India, said that he was unsure of what HSC’s Holi would look like but was thrilled to find elements of his culture at the celebration.
“I never expected it to be this massive,” Shahane said. “With food and drinks and songs played by the most popular Indian singers — it's actually wonderful.”
Shahane and his friend, graduate Engineering student Omkar Bhambure, both celebrated their first Holi at the University during Saturday’s event. For Bhambure, the event allowed him to connect with Hindu people of different nationalities and ethnicities. He noted a special moment when he and an attendee from Pakistan put color on each other — something Bhambure said he did not expect to do at Holi, given historically tense relations between India and Pakistan.
“This is the first Holi [I’ve attended] with international people around,” Bhambure said. “I just talked with a person who is from Pakistan and I'm from India, and we are playing Holi together, so that's quite awesome.”
Patel emphasized this sense of connection, saying Holi, like other HSC events, highlights the diversity represented within the Hindu community. She said Holi traditions look different across geographic regions and individual households.
“Holi really differentiates between where in South Asia you are,” Patel said. “It almost always varies [from] family to family. It's so intricate and detailed.”
As they bring these traditions to Grounds, many students take opportunities like Holi to share their religious practices with their friends. Third-year College student Ajal Upadhyaya, whose family comes from Nepal, said Holi is a unique way for her to engage her peers in Hindu traditions.
“A lot of Hindu celebrations are with family,” Upadhyaya said. “But this festival is mainly with friends … It's a way to show love.”
Pant emphasized that community members do not need to practice Hinduism to engage in Hindu holidays. For example, Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights typically celebrated in October or November, involves fireworks and a gift exchange, which are activities in which anyone may participate.
“There are so many fun, colorful, interactive aspects of Hinduism that aren't necessarily … for religious reasons,” Pant said. “You can participate without believing in the same beliefs that we have.”
Attendees left Holi in vibrant fashion, with their clothes and faces covered in powder. Patel said she hopes community members, regardless of their faith, find joy through the festival.
“We say ‘ananda’ in Hinduism a lot, [which] means ‘bliss,’” Patel said. “So I hope … people are able to enjoy bliss [at Holi].”
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