Happy Holi, Everyone!
We will be celebrating Holi with in-class learning about the significance of the celebration, and a whole-school celebration in our schoolyard. During the joyful celebration, students will get to throw colored powder (“Gulal”) on each other, and decorate their faces with it. Gulal is made of cornstarch and food-coloring. - it is somewhat washable, but may leave stains on clothing.
PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL WEARING CLOTHING THAT YOU ARE OKAY WITH STAINING.
Want to clebrate with your child’s class? We’d love 2-4 volunteers per class to help hand out the Gulal. Please sign up on the doc below if you’d like to help. Volunteers will meet in the MMR at 2:10 (please arrive a few mins early to sign in).
THANK YOU ❤️
Background information about Holi
The Hindu festival of Holi occurs on March 8. We will be moving our Holi celebration to early April, in hopes for more agreeable weather. Please read on to find out more about the meaning behind Holi, and check out some local Holi resources.
Holi is an ancient Hindu Indian festival and was originally called “Holika”
It is rooted in Hindu mythology and its meaning has evolved over time
It is linked to a symbolic Hindu legend of a demon king who was prevented from taking over the earth and this is how the festival came to be celebrated as the symbolic victory of good over evil.
While the celebration itself is based on a Hindu legend, the throwing of colored powder originates from a separate Hindu legend which immortalized the divine love between Krishna and Radha
Holi also signifies the official end of winter and gratitude for a good harvest
While Holi originated as a Hindu religious festival (the majority of India is Hindu), it is also celebrated by many other communities in India (Sikhs, Jains etc) and has become more cultural in significance.
So in summary, it is a joyful festival that celebrates happiness and love, the victory of good over evil, the beginning of spring which is a time of renewal and gratitude for a good harvest
The colors also have meaning:
Red symbolizes love and fertility
Yellow symbolizes happiness and peace
Blue symbolizes the Hindu God Krishna and calm
Green symbolizes nature and new beginnings/spring
Pink symbolizes youth and playfulness
Orange symbolizes courage and sacrifice
Purple symbolizes wealth and prosperity
Holi celebrations have spread all over the world in recent years and it is important to recognize the origins and why the festival is important to religious and secular Indians alike and honor these traditions