Hare Krishna’s Holi Festival Creates a Community of Color

Nothing could put a damper on the fun at the Holi Festival of Colors, not even the rain. The sporadic showers were powerless in stopping the smiles, dancing and periodic shower of colors.

The Holi Festival of Colors kicked off at the Hare Krishna Temple, located at 17303 NW 112th Blvd, on Saturday afternoon. The festival was a family-friendly carnival of vegetarian food, live music and color throws every half hour.

The Holi Festival of Colors is a thousand-year-old festival that originated in Vrindavan, India.

According to Jill Clayton, a 67-year-old devotee of Krishna for 47 years who prefers to go by her spiritual name Jayasri, the festival has now become mainstream in the Western world. Variations are happening everywhere, she says.

Holi’s organizers sold plastic packets filled with multicolor, nontoxic powder called “Govinda’s Skin Friendly Gulal.” The contents of the packets were thrown in the air and on the other attendees, covering people of all ages with color.

The festival is based on a story that revolves around Krishna, the supreme deity, shooting colors at Radha, the original goddess, while their friends watch. Throwing colors is about repairing broken relationships, which creates an atmosphere of spiritual joy that is dynamic on a platform of raising consciousness, Jayasri said.

“The significance is that it’s a way to greet your friends and forgive them for any offenses,” Jayasri said. “It’s a time of joining each other, of becoming close again.”

In addition to a meditation station, vendors sold books on yoga, vegetarianism and meditation, Ganesh sculptures from ancient Hindu Vedic traditions made of stone, Himalayan salt candle holders, and imported incense, jewelry and clothing.

Kalindi Kanhye, a wife, mother and first-time vendor, sold imported items from India and Nepal. Most of the items are handmade or hand hammered, Kanhye said.

“A lot of the profits go to an orphanage in Nepal and help to provide jobs in Nepal,” Kanhye said. “We sell the items we have to support that.”

The event also featured live music that had a modern twist from the usual Hare Krishna mantra. Arjuna Moreira, a performer known as KrshaTone, melded hip-hop with spirituality to bring consciousness to the mainstream style of music.

“I want to show people that you can be just as cool loving earth and doing good deeds, instead of speaking nonsense and polluting the youth’s ears with bad vibrations,” Moreira said. “As long as we keep fighting for what’s right, eventually we can change.”

A full family affair, the event had a strict policy that prohibited drugs and alcohol. Unlike most college kids, the people at Holi spent their Saturday having good, clean fun.

As the rain began to poor, the crowd huddled underneath a rainbow-colored circus tent, enjoying song, dance and collective consciousness.

“It’s not like a mundane ‘let’s get into sex and drugs,’” Jayasri said. “(It’s to) raise your consciousness, have fun, learn to love God and be friends.”

 

Featured photo courtesy of: Ashley Lombardo

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