At Stokes, A Colorful Hindu Tradition

Colored powder filled the air as students donned in white celebrated the Hindu religious festival of Holi on Stokes Lawn Saturday at 1 p.m.

Organized by the South Asian Student Association (SASA), the Holi festival has been celebrated at BC for the last 10 years. One thousand students were expected to attend the event, co-president of SASA, Suraj Mudichintala, CSOM ’16, said, but the turnout this year ended up being just over 200 students. Holi is a celebration of spring and a festival of color, usually taking place in March or April. It is primarily celebrated in India and Nepal, but many universities across the U.S. celebrate, and students of all religious backgrounds are invited to attend. The powder, which was made of 500 pounds of flour and 500 pounds of chalk material, was distributed among the crowd in buckets. The participants then took the powder and threw it at each other.

“At least we are providing a good Saturday,” Mudichintala said. “It fosters a sense of community. Everyone is throwing powder at everyone. It’s just everyone having fun.”