Shouts, music and colorful clouds of dust emanated from Polk Place on a Friday afternoon. Hundreds of people huddling on the grass shrieked delightedly as they tossed brilliantly colored orange power on each other. Curious onlookers watched while the crowd was sprayed with water guns and hoses. Hands and feet were stained purple, pink and orange and friends became unrecognizable in the chaotic mix of colors.
The festivities were part of Holi Moli!, an annual event co-hosted by Sangam, the Campus Y, the Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Outreach (MADO) committee of student government and Hindu YUVA. The event is so popular that it’s featured on the Order of the Bell Tower’s bucket list of things one has to do before graduating from UNC. This year’s Holi Moli! took place on March 18 in gorgeous, 80-degree weather.
Holi, also called the “Festival of Colors,” is a South Asian festival celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It’s especially popular in the northern parts of India. Although the festival is rooted in religious traditions, it no longer involves many religious activities. Instead, the festival involves tossing brightly colored paint while singing, dancing and enjoying bonfires.
According to the BBC, the festival was originally created to celebrate fertility and harvest. The modern-day version celebrates the life and energy of springtime. It also aims to break down barriers and unite all people, regardless of social hierarchies based on class, age or gender.
These themes of celebrating spring weather, enjoying life and uniting people across boundaries are wonderfully relevant at UNC. There’s no better way to experience Chapel Hill’s amazing weather than by running around on Polk Place with friends, especially when the afternoon involves paint, music and spontaneous dance parties.
The event, which occurs every March, is looked forward to by many students year-round. Roughly 2,000 students were expected to attend this year’s event, and several hundred excited participants showed up.
“Holi was an enjoyable experience,” said Jeff White, a sophomore political science and public policy major who attended the event. “But buying paint that comes off easier would’ve been more ideal.”
The powdered paint used in the festival is notoriously difficult to remove, even with continued scrubbing. The paint seeps into nails, clothing and even shoes. And those with light-colored hair should be forewarned – blonde hair almost always absorbs spots of green, red or blue that last for days.
“Holi freakin’ Moli,” said Zach Gignac, a sophomore political science major. “I will not get this paint out of my fingernails, hair, skin for at least another three days. No matter how hard I scrub I can’t get this stuff out.”
Despite the stains, Holi is an incredible experience that should be shared by all UNC students at least once. It allows students to make the most of the weather, behave ridiculously and treat strangers as friends. If you’ve never attended, make sure to stop by next year to cross it off of your bucket list. At the very least, you’ll walk away with some fantastic pictures.
Photo:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/holi_1.shtml