Holi participants gather at Leo J. Ryan Park at a previous festival.
Festivalgoers are just about ready to adorn Foster City’s Leo J. Ryan Park in vibrant colors again this year, marking roughly 15 years that the Holi celebration has been held in the area.
The celebration, also referred to as the “festival of colors,” is a tradition dating back thousands of years in India, however, it’s become increasingly well known throughout the world, in part due to eye-popping imagery of participants covered from head to toe in colorful powders.
The holiday represents the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil, said Suman Debnath, president of Baybasi, a 26-year-old local organization that hosts a variety of music and art events from different Indian cultural traditions.
“It’s a very open-hearted atmosphere,” Debnath said. “Someone puts color on you, and then you put colors on others. It’s a way to show their affection.”
Generally, celebrations are also held prior to the event, including a bonfire the night before the festival, which falls on a full moon.
“The bonfire is symbolic. It’s the beginning of good and the end of bad or evil,” Prithwiraj Mitra, general secretary of Baybasi, said. “It’s like a campfire, where people are around it, singing and dancing that night, and the day after it’s a celebration of joy.”
The organization has been hosting the Holi celebration in Foster City for roughly 15 years, with attendance going from a few hundred participants in the early days to 3,000 to 4,000 people in recent years, ranging from toddlers to teenagers and seniors.
“It has gotten really big and there is a very diverse nature of the crowd. It’s not just Indians, but we have everyone in the local community,” Mitra said. “There are even folks from the East Bay or Central Valley. It’s completely diverse.”
The event features a DJ, live music, including live drums, food and organic powdered colors are provided. The event is free and open to the public, Debnath added.
The event will be Saturday, March 21, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Leo J. Ryan Park.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 102
Daily Journal staff
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