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Photo by Jazzy Colbert

California Lutheran University student Diya Riteshbhai Mehta said that in India, her home country, Holi is typically celebrated on a sunny day. “Without colors, there is no life,” Mehta said. “Playing with colors brings color in your whole life. This festival is celebrated because of religious purpose but there are more purposes. If you want to feel free, come to this event.”

On Friday, March 10, California Lutheran University’s United Students of the World club celebrated Holi in Kingsmen Park, providing colored powder for students to put on their friends, a photo booth and food including vegetable samosas from the Indian restaurant Lal Mirch. 

USW President Faiza Tabia said she planned the event for this past week not only because Holi is traditionally celebrated in March, but also to help people de-stress because many students are just coming out of midterms.

“Holi is an Indian festival for Hindus to celebrate love, color, purity and kindness with families and friends, but it’s not only for Indians and Hindus, it’s for everyone,” Tabia said.

Vaishnavi Dacharaju, a first-year from India, said that Holi is celebrated in both India and America, and both countries value the tradition and religious aspects of the festival. She said she loved seeing food from her culture at Cal Lutheran’s Holi event. 

Dacharaju said that how Holi helps people welcome the spring season is by letting them enjoy their spaces through the Bollywood dances, food and forming bonds with each other. 

First-year Vice President of USW Nina Dube said, “The goal of USW is to unite and also normalize the cultures of the world, and to make all the students on campus feel at home. Everyone is dancing and laughing. We are from different places but we are united by the celebration.”