Celebrating with Color
Holi celebrants pose for photos after getting covered in colored powder Sunday, March 24, 2019 in Chandler, Ariz. The bright colors are meant to symbolize the energy of life and to serve as an equalizer for both rich and poor. Photo by Christina Van Otterloo.
CHANDLER, Ariz. — You’ve heard of spring cleaning, but what about spring partying? It’s not spring break — it’s Holi, a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring and the diversity of life.
“It is a festival to bring everybody together,” Naren Koka said. “Everybody forget about the differences in color, wealth, and anything, and enjoy together.”
That unity extends to all species, especially cows.
Koka is the secretary of AZ Goshala, a nonprofit aiming to save cows from slaughterhouses and to shelter them for life.
According to Koka, cows and Holi are intertwined through the idea of kindness.
“When you start being kind to animals, it naturally translates into kindness for people,” Koka said. “It is hard to find a stranger and to be kind, but it is easy to find an animal and to be kind.”
The desire for universal kindness is best displayed by the colorful powder thrown at one another during Holi.
The color is an equalizer, hitting anyone regardless of age or gender.
Priest Ram Bhttarai works for AZ Goshala like Koka, and emphasized that life needs color.
“If we care for others, the life becomes very colorful. If we don’t care for others, and we only care for ourselves… then life is very boring, we don’t need no people around us,” Bhttarai said.
Overall, Holi celebrates life and togetherness, with the festival prioritizing family, health and fun.