I love to try new things and meet new people, so when I saw a posting on Facebook for the India Association of Rhode Island’s Holi Festival of Colors, I knew I had to go. My husband and I try to do something together every Sunday and this was a great opportunity to do something new and different.

The flyer described it as “the world’s happiest event” and an opportunity to “be a free spirit and play with colors.” Further research into what the Holi Festival is all about revealed that it is a “family-friendly gathering of people, united in their desire to promote love and friendship and to celebrate life.” Live music, color throwing and ethnic dances are all part of the Holi experience. This event had my name all over it.

I told my husband we need to wear something white and when it was time to leave he had his shirt all picked out. We didn’t know anyone there when we arrived, but we quickly made new friends. We had a lot of questions as to what to expect and we enjoyed learning about the history of the event and what life is like in India. Once the music came on I could not stop dancing. Keep in mind, neither my husband or I are Indian, and I have red hair, so I’m sure we stood out from the crowd, but that did not intimidate us. Everyone made us feel welcome and a part of the family.

The anticipation was quickly growing inside of me and I could not wait for the spectacle to begin. Food is always a good distraction and there was a food vendor there offering some delicious Indian cuisine. After enjoying some live singing of traditional Indian songs, it was announced that the color throwing would begin. The crowd was invited to grab individual bags of colored powder and start spreading what I call “happy dust” onto strangers. My husband and I are both 50 years old and it felt like we were five years old again, laughing and giggling and not having a care in the world about how silly we must have looked. Our colorful Holi dusted shirts are my new favorite souvenir and I’m seriously considering framing them together with our picture. It was the single best cultural event I ever attended and look forward to next year already. Thank you for coloring our world!

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