By Clare McKinley, Campus News Editor

Bright colors darting through the air and getting whisked away by the wind and water balloons splashing around cheers of laughter signified Xavier’s annual celebration of Holi, hosted by Asian & American Students in Action (ASIA).  

Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, is a South Asian festival. Usually falling in March, Holi Week is a celebration of spring, the triumph of good over evil, love and new beginnings. 

The event took place on the Xavier Yard from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. last Friday and was complete with food, music and lots of color. 

“When we celebrate Holi, we throw water balloons and we use pichkari, which is like a water gun you shoot at each other,” sophomore computer science major and Vice President of ASIA Aishani Mukherjee explained. “We also have a lot of really fun food and everything.” 

They served samosas, kaju katli, gujiya, pakoda, mango juice and more. 

“Typically we eat a lot of different sweets we do not eat throughout the year. Fruits as well because those fruits are the best when Holi is celebrated, so they are only really cut during that time,” Mukherjee said. 

In India, Holi is normally celebrated for two days and is multiple hours long, and the bright colors tossed around are less likely to be washed off in the coming days.
The event was originally supposed to coincide with the Holi celebrations in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries, but rainy Cincinnati weather forced ASIA to have to postpone the event. Once Ohio was ready to welcome spring, the event took place on a sunny afternoon with inviting weather in spite of the breezy winds. 

“This celebration was much more relaxed and slower-paced than the ones back home,” first-year business analytics major Lavanya Upadhyay from New Delhi, India said. “Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. It was technically the first Holi celebration I’ve attended since I have the biggest fear of how intense the color normally is, so it was good to experience a calmer version.” 

Conquering her fears, Upadhyay let herself be doused with color and popped water balloons on her friends with surprise attacks. 

“I think it’s important for Xavier to hold events like this because they hold significance for the South Asian community here on campus. Celebrating festivals from their culture and heritage can make people feel more comfortable and included at Xavier,” Upadhyay said. 

The celebration was open to everyone in the Xavier community and drew in curious passerbyers. They were greeted by mathematics professor and faculty advisor to ASIA Dr. Hem Joshi, who was enthusiastically handing out white T-shirts to attendees.  

“It is important to know that ASIA’s not only a club for South Asian students. We are called Asian and American Students Rising in Action for a reason,” sophomore data science and computer science double major and President of ASIA Aaryan Bhatta said. “We want to make people aware of these events and introduce them to various other traditions or cultures they may not be aware of or used to.” 

ASIA hosts events throughout the year to involve the Xavier community in South Asian culture. 

“What better way to do that than something as fun as this to bring together the community. So that’s why we always think every year it is good to do events like this,” Bhatta said.