Indian Students’ Association (ISA) will host this year’s Holi Festival celebration 9:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the central lawn of Frederiksen Court, the lawn right outside Hawthorn Market & Café.

Holi Festival represents the end of dull winter and the beginning of colorful spring. On this day, people play traditional Indian music and sing and dance. Adults and children go out to the streets and put colored powder on their foreheads to show their blessings. Some of them directly grab the powder and spray everywhere. Some mix water with the powder and drench fellow attendees.

The actual Holi festival was celebrated over a month ago in India, but in Ames, it was too cold for students to have an outdoor celebration — especially with water. ISA decided to host the festival in late April. This year the first 150 participants who arrive will receive a free white t-shirt.   

On Saturday, participants will start the event by applying colored powder on themselves, then the ISA members will provide hoses and buckets of water for attendees to throw water on each other. Throughout the event, Bollywood music will be played in the background.

Around 11 a.m., ISA workers will put out samosas, a traditional Indian snack, and beverages. A plate of two samosas and one drink is $3 for students to purchase.

Yash Solanki, junior in biology and the president of ISA, said the Holi festival, unlike other traditional holidays, doesn’t really have a religious ritual or any traditional ceremony. It’s an opportunity for people to take two hours out of their busy life and have a carefree and fun time.

“You don’t even need to know the people you are having a water fight with. Just wear something that you’ll be fine not wearing again and come have fun.” Solanki said.

The colored powder is corn flower and the dye is food-grade, organic and environmental friendly.