Holi, a Hindu holiday known as the festival of colors, love and spring, will be celebrated Tuesday, April 18, on the lawn of Memorial Field House at The University of Toledo.

Holi Toledo, a free, public event, is from 3 to 5 p.m. and will feature dancing, colors and music.

It is recommended that attendees wear clothes that can be stained from throwing colored powder.

Originating in India, the celebration of Holi has circulated worldwide. It symbolizes the arrival of spring, the end of winter and the blossoming of love. A classic Holi celebration involves people gathering together to throw bright-colored powder and splash each other with colored water.

“In the Holi Toledo event, people come together to celebrate the victory of good over evil, to forgive and forget past mistakes and to welcome new beginnings,” said UToledo senior Ashwin Magar, president of the Indian Student Cultural Organization and this year’s student director for Holi Toledo. “The colorful powder and water that are thrown during the festival symbolize the different hues of life and the unity in diversity.”

“At UToledo, we also add another dimension. Tables of cultural and religious student organizations line the Holi zone,” said Dr. Jeanine Diller, an associate professor of philosophy and religious studies. “The tables are the place to go to get color to throw on your friends. In the time it takes to scoop out the color, the goal is to have a brief but meaningful exchange about the culture or religion that the student group is from. The prompts for those exchanges are three words — three themes — that the student organizers select for Holi each year, which we put on the front of the year’s Holi T-shirt.”

The first 100 people to enter the color zone will receive a free Holi Toledo 2023 T-shirt.

The rain date is Thursday, April 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. Visit the Holi Toledo 23 Invonet page for more information.

Holi Toledo is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, the Center for International Studies and Programs, the Office of Multicultural Student Success and the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.