Daniel Sykes
By Sam Ellison
Students of De Montfort University celebrated the Festival of Love and Colour last week at Bede Park.
DMU’s Indian Society organised the event as they have done for the last two years. Starting from 4pm, students were provided with free powder, called Abir and covered each other in bright colours for over an hour.
Holi is the Hindu festival of colour and love and welcomes the start of Spring. It is also thought of as a time to meet others and forgive those that have wronged you.
“It was an incredible experience to immerse myself into a culture so different from my own,” said Daniel Sykes, a first year studying Drama.
“I feel like it also helped to tear down social barriers across all the different cultures that were there and everyone seemed to be embracing that.”
Originally, Holi is an ancient Hindu festival dating all the way back to the 4th Century. Recently however, it has caught the attention of many other cultures, especially in Europe and North America, and is now celebrated by non-Hindu communities in India and other South Asian countries.
An Indian student of Creative Writing and Film Studies, Sim Banning said: “I love that Holi is a marking of Spring starting. What better way is there to celebrate that than with a fusion of colours?
“It’s a very welcoming experience for everyone and it’s just good fun to celebrate with people from all walks of life. I like it because it’s about expression and the freedom to celebrate with whoever you want.
“The event at Bede Park was particularly great for me as I got to spend it with my friends from University who hadn’t experienced Holi before!”
For updates on future events, The De Montfort University Indian Society can be found on Facebook.
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