There are few opportunities to cover someone in a rainbow of powdered paint and get away with it – but a local festival this weekend will encourage guests to do just that.

The Krishna Temple is prepared for its annual Festival of Colors celebration Saturday with musicians and dancers, plenty of food and 1,500 bags of powdered paint available for anyone who wants to throw them.

“The thing about this festival is you can invite your worst enemies and your best friends,” said Caru Das, coordinator of the festival. “It cements your friendships to rub colors in people’s hair.”

The festival, known as Holi, is an important holiday in the Hindu religion as a celebration of the coming spring. It is also a reminder of the triumph of good over evil as seen when the demoness, Holika, was incinerated after trying to set fire to a boy who believed in Vishnu, a revered Hindu God.

Holi is a highly anticipated holiday for Hindus in many socially pressured countries like India, because it was a great way to show their frustrations without starting a revolution, Das said.

“Poor men can make rich men look ridiculous,” he said. “It’s a nice, wholesome way to blow off steam, put aside any grudges you might have, bury the hatchet.”

Approximately 1,000 people gathered at the Krishna Temple last year for the Festival of Colors. Many people attend the festival with the prospect of taking a break from everyday life, Das said.

“One of the reasons people like it so much is because it’s different,” Das said. “It’s a good opportunity to stop taking yourself too seriously.”

Besides the unique activities available at the festival, members of the community may also be interested in attending for the cultural experience it presents.

Hindus may be different from Latter-day Saints in practice, but they are very closely related in morals and ethics, said Roger Keller, church history professor at BYU and Richard L. Evans chair of religious understanding. Obtaining knowledge about other religions can help us become better neighbors and citizens.

“The world is shrinking so much that to think we can be ignorant about our neighbors and live in a little bubble is kidding ourselves,” Keller said. “We can either try to ignore them or we can learn to appreciate the culture they bring.”

The Festival of Colors is Saturday, March 26, at 4 p.m. at the Krishna Temple, 8628 S. Main St., Spanish Fork. The event is free, and a bag of powdered colors can be purchased for a dollar. There is also a meal provided along with a requested donation.



Copyright Brigham Young University 22 Mar 2005