Holi Toledo is a campus-wide event for the Hindu religious festival Holi — a celebration known for the color thrown into the air to celebrate the coming of spring. On Wednesday, April 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. on the lawn of The University of Toledo’s Memorial Field House. Students will have the chance to participate in the event by throwing color at each other. (Please note date change from original April 8 to rain date of April 15.)

“For us, the colors represent diversity — and in particular the diversity of religious and cultural perspectives at the heart of our Holi event,” said Dr. Jeanine Diller, director of the UT Center for Religious Understanding.

Various booths, each hosted by a different student organization, will offer visitors a different colored powder. There will be powder blasts throughout the event where everyone will throw their color into the air at the same time, similar to the actual holiday in India.

It is recommended that attendees wear clothes that can be stained; while the color is water soluble, it is not guaranteed to wash out.

In addition to the color and booths, Indian music and dancers will be featured.

Diller said that last year’s Holi Toledo was reportedly one of the most popular diversity events at the University to date.

“We understood from the diversity staff that this was one of the best diversity events UT has ever had, given the number of attendees and degree of mixing at the event,” she said. “We also heard that international students felt very at home and welcomed at UT as a result of this event — a result I hadn’t predicted. And there were some meaningful exchanges going on at the tables; one person told me they talked for over a half hour with someone who had a different perspective on religion.”

With more than 400 people in attendance last year, Diller said she expects this year’s event to be even bigger.
This event is sponsored by the UT Center for International Studies and Programs, UT Indian Students Cultural Association, UT Center for Religious Understanding, UT Office of Student Involvement, UT Office of Equity and Diversity, Toledo Community Foundation and the President’s Lecture Series on Diversity.

Media Coverage
The Blade (April 11, 2015)
The Blade (April 16, 2015)

Tags: College of Languages Literature and Social Sciences