Nepali students welcomed spring with Holi, a traditional festival of colors. This was the fourth year that the Nepalese Students Association at Southeastern came together and organized the most vibrant event on campus.
The annual gathering occurred on March 21 in front of the Pennington Center and was free of charge for all attendees. Even though Holi Fest is a traditional religious Hindu celebration of spring, it has become popular all around the world. Every year, on the day of the vernal equinox, when the length of day and night is equal, and on phalguna purnima, “full moon” in Sanskrit, people come together to enjoy this beautiful festival.
Holi is not just about the beautiful hues. Ganga Sitaula, mother of junior microbiology major and Public Relations Officer for NSAS, Alina Sitaula, shared the story behind the festival.
“Hiranyakashyap was an asura [“devil” in Sanskrit] who had a son named Prahlad. Prahlad was very devoted to Lord Vishnu which angered his father. Hiranyakashyap’s sister, Holika, decided to kill Prahlad by sitting on a fire with him on her lap. Holika was immune to fire, but surprisingly, she burned to death while Prahlad survived. Ever since then, Holi was celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.”
Some people like to start celebrating the night before, setting up a bonfire in order to mark the burning of the sinister Holika. The next day is when all the action happens. Even though it is mainly celebrated with colors, water is also a huge factor. People use water balloons, water guns and colored water. This year’s tug of war and the game “Kabbaddi” were a huge hit among participants.
Blessed with a beautiful sunny day, Holi turned out to be bigger than in the past years and all who participated had a great time.
“We always look forward to incorporating our North American and other fellow international friends, and we were successful to some extent this year,” said Prashanta Panta, senior accounting major and president of NSAS. “Holi is a very special event for us since it brings everyone together. It’s a good opportunity for cultural exchange. After all, the motto of our organization is to preserve and promote our culture as well as cultural exchange at Southeastern.”
Panta and Brendan Daigle, coordinator for International Affairs for the Multicultural & International Student Affairs, worked on putting the event together.
“Their support in festivals like Dashain and Holi has really been a big help to us,” said Panta.
MISA was responsible for sponsoring most of the event, providing the powdered colors and drinks while NSAS provided snacks, water balloons and other materials.
Sitaula and Panta both agreed on having problems promoting the event.
“Since the school was shut down for almost a week due to the rough weather, we had to make some major changes in our dates and plans which had been scheduled a semester in advance,” said Panta.
Even with all the help from MISA, they were still not able to sponsor a bigger event. In NSAS’s first years, they received assistance from Student Government Association for their events. Due to budget cuts they stopped providing them with funds.
All the tradition and rich cultural background makes Holi an important festival. It not only celebrates and welcomes spring, but also signifies the victory of good over evil and a day to mend broken relationships or friendships: a day to forgive and forget.