Holi, a significant Hindu festival celebrated as the festival of colors, love and spring, will be celebrated Tuesday, April 18, on the lawn of Memorial Field House.
Holi Toledo 23 is an all-inclusive event from 3 to 5 p.m. that will feature dancing, colors and music.
Holi Toledo is open to everyone and will be celebrated with dancing, colors and music from 3 to 5 p.m. April 18 on the lawn of Memorial Field House.
Originating in India, the celebration of Holi has since circulated worldwide. It symbolizes the arrival of spring, the end of winter and the blossoming of love. A classic Holi celebration involves people gathering together to throw bright-colored powder and splash each other with colored water.
“In the Holi Toledo event, people come together to celebrate the victory of good over evil, to forgive and forget past mistakes and to welcome new beginnings,” said Utoeldo senior Ashwin Magar, president of the Indian Student Cultural Organization and this year’s student director for Holi Toledo. “The colorful powder and water that are thrown during the festival symbolize the different hues of life and the unity in diversity.
“The festival also marks the onset of spring, and the joyous spirit of Holi adds to the beauty of the season.”
Dr. Jeanine Diller, an associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, added, “At UToledo, we also add another dimension: tables of cultural and religious student organizations lining the Holi zone. The tables are the place to go to get color to throw on your friends. In the time it takes to scoop out the color, the goal is to have a brief but meaningful exchange about the culture or religion that the student group is from. The prompts for those exchanges are three words — three themes — that the student organizers select for Holi each year, which we put on the front of the year’s Holi T-shirt.”
The first 100 people to enter the color zone will receive a free Holi Toledo 2023 T-shirt. It is suggested that those who attend wear a white shirt, as water-soluble colors will be thrown and the colored powder may stain.
The rain date for Holi will be on Thursday, April 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. Visit the Holi Toledo 23 Invonet page for more information.
Holi Toledo is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the Center for International Studies and Programs, the Office of Multicultural Student Success and the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.
