By Tanushri Shah and Jeel Shah
(North Bergen, NJ—March 24, 2017) The Asian Cultures Club celebrated the festival of Holi, an Indian tradition in which people play with colorful powders, to spread its message of cultural diversity, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.
This festival, originally intended to celebrate good’s triumph over evil, won the hearts of many around the world, and High Tech’s first Holi festival consisted of a multitude of colors, friendly socializing, snacks, and, of course, enjoyment in keeping with the Holi tradition.
“This [Holi festival event] paved the way for celebrating culture in a grand way,” says Dr. Srivastava, moderator of the Asian Cultures Club, “as it assured many people in and around High Tech that our community honors diversity through various means.”
Usually celebrated in India as a way to show happiness about the victory of good over evil, Holi boasts many legends about the origin of the festival. However, one of the most popular legends concerns the story of an evil king and his son, a devotee of good. Because the son opposed the king’s evil ways, the king eventually ordered his sister to take his son to a bonfire, ostensibly to burn his son to death. In the end, though, the son turned the tables on the king’s sister and the son survived, which represents the victory of good over evil, some say.
In many places of India, people celebrate Holi over the course of two, even sixteen, days. Some celebrate Holi to welcome the harvest season, while others learn morals from the legends or simply enjoy the colors and moment to reconnect with family.
The Asian Cultures Club looks forward to a much bigger celebration of Holi next year.
