Aliya Ladha, Contributing Writer
On March 18, SUNY Oneonta celebrated Holi— the Hindu festival of colors. Holi is a celebration that welcomes spring in South Asian countries like India. Holi stems from a variety of legends and multiple traditions.
Students enjoyed traditional Indian music, events, and delicacies at Friday’s event. Trays were filled with vegetable samosas, sweet and sour meatballs, and chicken tikki masala in the beginning of the event, but were quickly cleaned up.
Along with the food—graciously provided by Sodexo—students had the opportunity to learn how to dance, Bhangra style. Students got to break a cultural barrier and explore Indian traditions.
Finally, the night’s events culminated with the true celebration of the festival of color. Buckets of red, blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow powder lined the side of the Hunt Union Ballroom. The custom is to begin by taking a small amount of powder in your hands and placing it gently on your friend’s cheeks. Within minutes the ballroom was filled with puffs of color and laughter.
This event opened the door to not only exploring new customs, but also to finding value in diversity. The SAAC executive board, SAAC multicultural chair Alicia Bulson, and Bill Harcleroad did a fantastic job setting up this event and providing students with a wonderful experience.
So, why Holi? What made this holiday the best opportunity to give students a taste of the world around them?
“It’s my job to coordinate informative and exciting multicultural events for the students at SUNY Oneonta. When I initially started the process of brainstorming possible event ideas at the end of last semester, I knew that I wanted to organize an event that would provide students with an opportunity to learn and experience the traditions of another culture. I knew Holi would be the best opportunity to provide this for students,” Bulson responded.
“I really enjoyed putting on the event, and I think that everyone who attended enjoyed it as well,” Bulson said.
Overall, the event was a complete success. Students all left the celebration with smiles, colorful faces, and fun tales to tell their friends.
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