Holi

Holi

BY JAYA SHATI

Pacific Cascade Middle School student

Holi is the festival of colors celebrated by millions of Indians and other South Asians who live all over the world. The legend says that Holi originated when one of the principal deities of Hinduism, Lord Vishnu, defeated evil. To honor him, people threw colored powder on each other to represent good over evil.

Each color has its own meaning. Red is the color of love and fertility. Yellow is the color of turmeric, an Indian spice that is used as a natural remedy. Blue is the color of the Hindu God Krishna, and green is the color of new beginnings.

This festival is a joyful day to reflect on and correct previous mistakes, resolve issues by meeting new people, forget, and forgive. Debts are paid or forgiven, and people begin over with others in their life.

We celebrate Holi in our communities, and it’s one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with my family. We like to go to a Holi event with friends and throw colored powder and water balloons at each other. We get soaked as the colors wash away with the water. It’s so much fun!

We also have amazing food. One example is pakora, which is just delicious! Pakora is a fried snack typically featuring cauliflower or potato coated in a light batter. Another delicious food we have is samosa, a small triangular pastry filled with spiced meat or vegetables and fried in ghee or oil.

Holi is about spending time with the people you care about and celebrating with them. It’s not only for the Indian community. I believe that Holi is a great occasion to bring people together from all different cultures and backgrounds. I invite you to come to Lake Sammamish State Park on March 18th to be a part of this incredible event. See you there!