The annual Holi Festival will be held this Sunday, March 13 at  11 a.m. at Lever Beach. The event is hosted by the Clemson Indian Students’ Association (CISA).
This year, tickets to the event will be free for everyone, not just students. There will be Indian dishes served at the event and a DJ will be playing Indian music.
And of course, there’s the colored powder.
Those familiar with the Color Run will notice its similarities to the Holi Festival. In fact, the Color Run was inspired by Holi Festivals. In this instance, there will be no running, just the festival itself.
The significance of the day is to bring people from varying backgrounds together and make them indistinguishable through the use of the colored powder.       
“The idea is to forget all fights with others for the day,” CISA President Chaitanya Banthia said.
Holi is a Hindu religious holiday occurring in the spring. Despite the religious ties, though, Banthia stresses that it is largely a cultural practice.
“I thought of it as just a cultural thing growing up. It was just enjoyable,” he said.
Last year, the event was held off campus due to damage which had occurred the year before. This year, CISA is happy to have it back on campus.
The Gantt Multicultural Center, Graduate Student Government and Indian Cultural Exchange are sponsoring the event. In collaboration with CISA, they are helping with the pricing and managing of the event.
Banthia said, “We want people to be involved and we want locals to come. We’ve worked to make it free with the other organizations.”
For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2mt7YVR.