Organizers of the Holi Toledo celebration at The University of Toledo have canceled the event this afternoon due to the weather.

Holi Toledo, an all-campus celebration of the Indian holiday Holi, was scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 27 on the grounds outside Memorial Field House on Main Campus.

This year’s event had already been postponed once. Last week, thunderstorms forced organizers to push the event back to today. 

With finals next week, there is no plan to reschedule the event this semester.

The annual event features students throwing colored powder, as well as music, dancing and a T-shirt giveaway sponsored by the Center for International Studies and Programs.

“Holi is a popular springtime festival that is celebrated with great fanfare in India,” said Dr. Yonatan Miller, director of the Center for Religious Understanding. “It is a colorful celebration — both cultural and religious — of the change of seasons and the triumph of good over evil. And, significantly, it is also a time when, at least for one day, all people are considered equals; the usual social hierarchy is suspended.”

Holi Toledo was the brainchild of Dr. Jeanine Diller, former director of the Center for Religious Understanding. The event, which draws on the festivity, color and seasonal meaning of the holiday, has the blessing of the Hindu Temple of Toledo.

“Holi Toledo also serves a more immediate purpose here in the UT community, which is to highlight our diversity, promote unity, and foster improved understanding of the religions represented on campus,” Miller said.