The Indian Student Association will celebrate the traditional Indian Holi festival by throwing different colored powder at one another and anyone else who wishes to participate.

The celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 19 on the south Campanile lawn.

“The actual Holi festival [was] celebrated over a month ago in India, but it was so cold in Ames, and for the celebration, you have to be in the open,” said Vivek Lawana, graduate student in biomedical sciences and president of the Indian Student Association. 

In India, the Holi festival is a religious festival celebrating the victory over evil. The traditional Holi festival begins by lighting bonfires the day before the color celebration.

Apoorva Acharya, graduate student in supply chain and information systems and public relations officer for the Indian Student Association, said the celebration also represents a new year.

“The many religions of India almost all have their new year celebration in the week before the Holi festival, so then Holi is the first festival of the new year,” Apoorva said.

The word “holi” is a Sanskrit word connected to one of the many mythological stories of India and its gods and demons, Lawana said.

Lawana also said the celebration at Iowa State will take out the religious aspect and make it more fun and entertaining.

The main aspect of the celebration is to throw the provided organic colors at one another.

“The concept is the same as of the [La Tomatina Festival] in Spain,” Acharya said.

But this year, the Indian Student Association will have some new aspects in addition to the original setup.

“We will have two Indian dance performances,” Lawana said. “The groups could not perform because of the cancellation of Veishea. Therefore, we want to give them a stage to show their talent. The Holi festival usually gathers a huge crowd.”

The ISU Chakraas Club will kick off the event with a traditional dance called dandiya raas that involves high rhythmic moves, synchronization, colorful costumes and a pair of dandiya sticks.

“After [the] performances, we will hand out the bags of colors,” Acharya said.

The color used will be organic so that the soil will not be harmed and no one will have an allergic reaction, Lawana said.

“The colors we throw at each other signify that something good is happening. It is a lot of fun,” Lawana said.

Water guns will also be provided next to the color.

“People should have a lot of fun throwing water and color at each other,” Lawana said.

The event will be free for everyone.

“We will have pizza and offer a traditional Holi drink along with some other surprises as well,” Archaya said.

The event will also have a disc jockey playing Bollywood music, and the Bollywood Dance Club will give a performance.

“It will be a lot of fun and enjoyment,” Lawana said.