RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - On Saturday, March 15, the Holi Festival of Colors was held in beautiful Hagan Community Park. Holi is a cultural celebration that gives Hindus and non-Hindus alike an opportunity to have fun and play with others by throwing colored water and powder at each other.

The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil. It’s the time to rid oneself of past errors, to end conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or forgive debts, as well as deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the start of spring. It is an occasion for people to enjoy the changing seasons and make new friends.

As an artist, I find this festival very visually stimulating. It’s as though everyone becomes an individual living canvas. As the day goes on, colored cornstarch fills the air along with the faces and clothes of all the people and there’s no way that one can attend this festival without someone insisting they need to become a piece of living art.

Each color of the palette represents something different.

Red represents love, passion, fertility and marriage. 

Yellow symbolizes happiness, joy, peace and knowledge. It is also associated with turmeric, a powerful natural remedy in India. 

Green represents new beginnings, spring, nature and the harvest.

Blue represents the divine, the Hindu god Krishna and the infinite.

Orange represents light, starting over and forgiveness. 

Pink signifies joy, companionship and camaraderie.

Last but not least, purple represents wisdom, power and mysticism.

Also, during the festival, people of all ages danced to festive cultural music while being doused by colored cornstarch. There were dance demonstrations and delicious traditional South Indian vegetarian dishes prepared by the Rameshwaram Cafe.       

The Holi Festival of Colors was put on by the Sacramento Telangana Association and was sponsored in part by the City of Rancho Cordova’s Measure H Community Enhancement and Investment Fund. Many volunteers helped make this festival so successful. The festival is typically celebrated on the first full moon day, which usually falls in late February or March on the Gregorian calendar and lasts for two days.