On Saturday afternoon, We Introduce Nations at Dickinson club (W.I.N.D) hosted its first-ever celebration of Holi Hai, a Hindu festival of color.

According to the executive board of W.I.N.D., Holi is an annual Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal that signifies the victory of good over evil. With a free-for-all spirit, the celebration is a way for people to mark the end of winter and welcome the arrival of spring, as well as to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive and repair their broken relationships.  Traditionally, participants smear colored powders and sometimes even throw water-filled balloons on each other until everyone was covered with glowing colors from head to toe.

In observance of the festival’s special spirit, Morgan Field was vibrant with colorful powders and laughter as Dickinson students learned to celebrate Holi and enjoyed traditional snacks provided by W.I.N.D., such as Maggi, Samosa, Gulab Jamun and Laddoo.

“This is a great way to celebrate an aspect of Hindu culture with non-Hindu people,” shared Preeti Khanal ’19, social media manager of W.I.N.D.

As a student from Nepal, Khanal grew up celebrating Holi annually.

“Holi is a very big thing at home. It is good that the club was able to bring the great culture of Holi to students on campus. I feel as if I were at home celebrating Holi last Saturday because the event went very well. Except for the lack of water, (traditionally there is water and colored powder), everything is the same as an authentic Holi festival.”

According to Khanal, it took the club months to plan and put together the festival.

According to Samantha Fonseca ’19, President of W.I.N.D.,  they decided to host the event since several of its members know the tradition from their native countries.

“Since three members of the executive board celebrated this colorful festival growing up, we were really excited to plan the event and share this tradition to everyone on campus. Holi is a great way to bring people together, and we are very happy with how the event turned out,”  she said.

In regards to W.I.N.D and the club’s future plans, Fonseca said she is excited to share upcoming events for students on campus.

“Next Saturday, we will be hosting our first annual Windlympics which will feature games including the Amazing Race, a Spicy Ramen eating competition, Twister, and other games. We also have one more country-of-the-month event which will showcase Ghana – a beautiful country that we want to introduce to students at Dickinson” she stated.

Students looking to get involved with WIND can like them on Facebook or email them at [email protected].