By Anubha Gupta
Holi is a truly global cultural festival, for it signifies sharing love with all your fellow beings. On Friday, March 25th, the International Student Support Services, at Penn State Harrisburg celebrated Holi and organized a beautiful cultural program which was attended by both international and domestic students, faculty and staff. Penn State Harrisburg’s commitment to encouraging cultural diversity and inclusion and their sincere efforts made the Holi event very successful.
Preparations for the program had begun about a month in advance, since Holi is a major Indian festival. On the day of the event, the venue was beautifully decorated in the true colorful Holi spirit. The event began with a sumptuous Indian dinner. The guests got a chance to enjoy ethnic Indian cuisine, snacks and desserts. This was followed by a welcome address by the Chancellor, Dr. Mukund Kulkarni.
A cultural presentation followed next, which highlighted the traditional and historical context of Holi. It showcased the zeal and fervor associated with the color-powder play of Holi in United States. The following performance was a Yoga display, since Yoga is a big part of the Indian tradition and is also gaining popularity around the world.
Video Clip of Holi Festival Celebration on March 25th, 2016 (Video courtesy of Calida Gao)
The students participated with great zeal and enthusiasm in all the programs and shared the culture through performances. The event saw back to back dance performances by students and volunteers. Kalbelia folk dance, festive dances, group and solo dances were greatly appreciated by the audience and made the night a beautiful musical.
The program concluded with a question and answer round and those who gave the correct answers won gift cards and the guests got a chance to please their taste buds with traditional ethnic sweet sampling.
But, the Holi celebration was yet to begin! Students and guests, who came all dressed up in festive wear, changed into simple clothing, prepared to get them dirty and went outside into the open for the exciting colored powder play and party. It was night-time, music began, people danced and clouds of color rose up in the sky and could be seen from a far distance. People greeted each other with a “Happy Holi”, threw colored powder at each other and after a while were covered up in beautiful and vibrant Holi colors. When people are covered in Holi colors, they cannot be recognized by their skin tone, and social or economic status. They are one and they represent sharing, friendship, happiness, love and equality. The program concluded with everyone imbibing the spirit of Holi and making beautiful memories of a vibrant Holi at Penn State Harrisburg.