Students cover each other in colorful powder during the Hindu
festival of Holi. Particpants ate dinner at Gobin Church before moving
to East College lawn and breaking out the dye.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN LIENHOOP.
What is the result of around 100 college students, authentic Indian cuisine and colored powder and water? Holi.
On Tuesday the East College lawn was transformed into the grounds for a colorful spring festival, complete with dancing, Indian food and colored powder. For the past few years, in accordance with Indian tradition, DePauw University’s International Student Association and Center for Spiritual Life organizations hold a Holi festival in the spring.
This festival is known as the festival of color or the festival of love. Volunteer Pravin Patel said that Holi is a time when “you forget your enemy and make friends with color.” Participants throw colored powder on each other and spray their friends with water guns.
All DePauw students were encouraged to attend this festival held at Gobin Memorial Methodist Church in order to experience the festivities firsthand.
Prior to the color festival, Gobin held a feast complete with authentic Indian cuisine such as vegetable samosa, garlic naan and gulab jamun.
“I saw pictures of it last year and it looked really fun,” sophomore Leah Willliams said. “I love Indian food and you don’t really get to have it that often in Greencastle.”
First-year Erika Killion expressed similar reasons for going.
“I saw pictures of it too from friends on other campuses…I had no idea we did it here.”
Classmate Vanessa Gonzalez invited Williams and Killion to the event after being inspired by her floor-mate’s participation last year.
“I’m from Houston, and I have a lot of Indian friends so I knew what Holi was…so I made sure that this year I would not miss it!” she said.
The Holi festival at DePauw is open to anyone who wants to participate and who does not mind getting colorful!