The most colorful time of the year is almost here —The Holi Festival of Colors.
Believe it or not, Spanish Fork is home to the largest Holi celebration in the Western Hemisphere.
For newcomers, the Holi fest is a Hindu tradition celebrating the arrival of spring and bidding farewell to winter. It commemorates an array of events in Hindu mythology, but in short, the festival is a celebration of life and color.
The earliest records of the festival date back to the seventh century, where communities lit bonfires (in commemoration of a figure named Prahlad in Hindu mythology who miraculously survived being thrown into a fire) and smeared colored powder on each other’s faces to celebrate the vibrancy of life and the vitality of Spring. The practice is continued today without variation and visitors are encouraged to participate in the ceremonies.
In 1998, when the Sri Sri Radha Hindu temple of Spanish Fork was completed, they never dreamt that it would become the home of one of the largest Holi celebrations in the world. In 2011, over 50,000 people flocked to the temple to participate.
In case you’ve never been (or even if you have) and you’re debating whether or not to go this year, perhaps this list can help. Or throw you into a deeper pool of ambivalence. Just don’t say the V left a stone unturned. We’re just here to help.
PROS
New Facebook profile pics
A great excuse to get close to that special someone. Or that special stranger
If you’re single, there’s a pretty good chance of finding another single person there
You’ll feel cultured. In fact you might feel so cultured that you’ll forget you’re in Utah County
Learn phrases in a new language
You can enter the temple without an interview
Live music & dance performances
Bonfires
Healthy vegetarian food
Crowd-surfing
Llamas
CONS
Let’s face it, your profile pic will look pretty much the same as 200 of your other friends
Body contact with potentially sweaty, chalk-covered strangers
Do you really want to have purple teeth when you make that first impression?
A road trip to Tijuana is only 12 hours away.
And Tooele is only an hour and 23 minutes
Yeah, you can use that next time you go to India…
No counter-point there
You might be too distracted by all of the colors to see or hear
Fire hazard
No steaks or bacon or sausage
Crowd-surfing
Spit
Holi – Festival of Colors
Saturday March 24
10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday March 25
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Entry is $2
Each bag of color $2
Meals available (all vegetarian)
Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple
www.utahkrishnas.org
311 West 8500 South
Spanish Fork, UT
