Now that spring feels like it’s sprung with summer quick at its heels, it is once again the season of color, light, and life. In celebration of this rebirth, Hindus across India and the world celebrate the Holi festival. If you’re unfamiliar with the festival, think of a giant, long game of tag with colored powders. Here at Southwestern, our Holi festival looked a bit different. Hosted by the Asian Student Association, the celebration brought connection and joy that stretched between cultural boundaries.

The Asian Student Association (ASA) did an amazing job organizing and hosting this event, which shaped up to be a small celebration in comparison to those around the world. After enjoying quick snacks such as Parle-G and cans of Badam, the fun began. While most attendees simply accepted their coloring, there was some chasing, running, and “look over there’s.” “Coloring”, as the author heard it called, is the spreading of colored powders on one another. It can be on shirts, faces, in hair, and stuck to shoes. Coloring is a physical representation of joy, spring, and a victory of good over evil. One could feel the joy in the air—with every whack on the back, high-five, or even chest bump, colors flew into the air and helped welcome in the few weeks of Texas spring before summer hits. 

The bright hues of the colors, scattered in all directions, also seemed to spread the very joy of the celebration. As pinks, reds, and several other colors floated through the air, the celebration provided a colorful tribute to the emotions and seasons that shape our lives. Swirled and mixed together, the powders created new, beautiful shades—much like the students themselves, coming from diverse backgrounds and cultures, yet united in celebration. Moreover, attendees were told each color had a different meaning and significance: pink for joy, red for love, orange for beauty, purple for wisdom, green for spring, and lastly, blue for the Hindu god Krishna, for whom the festival is traditionally celebrated. 

As a whole, Southwestern’s Holi festival was an amazing experience. Just like celebrations around the world, strangers “colored” strangers. While this may seem odd to outsiders, this is the point of the Holi festival. Friends color friends, enemies color enemies, and strangers color strangers – regardless of station or any other limiting factors. This felt particularly powerful in a campus that prides itself on diversity and connections between its students. The Holi event was a powerful example of this connection, helping to foster unity, celebrate connection, and show the power of inclusivity. Students from all walks of life were united by the explosion of color and joy. Even long after the colorful powder lingering on skin has washed down shower drains, the memories will remain, filled with all the things the colors represent. For a university like Southwestern, known for its commitment to diversity, Holi served as a reminder that no matter where we come from, we can share a universal experience of joy, celebration, and connection. It wasn’t just a day of fun—it was a day of unity, where every color represented a facet of who we are and how we come together.