Blast! Colors showered the students as they ran around and reveled in joy. At the end of April, SOAR (Students Organizing Against Racism) hosted a Holi celebration. Holi is a Hindu traditional festival where people throw color powder to commemorate the start of spring. The event happened worldwide on March 8th, but due to COVID restrictions, the celebration at DIS was postponed a bit.

SOAR members took around 2 months to plan for Holi. They prepared several different activities for the day. For one, they screened a student-produced video during advisory explaining the importance of the festival. They also gave out different Indian snacks – like Karachihalwa, Gulab Jamun, and Motichoor Laddu – for free. The club members tried their best to make all the experiences fun and educational at the same time.

The festival culminated on the soccer field in the afternoon. Exciting Indian songs blasted on the speakers as the kindergarteners, first graders, and SOAR members gathered outside. They adorned white shirts and tossed radiant powder all over each other. The youngsters had a grand time dancing, singing, and throwing heaps of color all over the field.

Maha from kindergarten commented, “I knew that Holi is about the festival of colors before. It was really fun because I got to play at the playground and it was very colorful. I got lots of colors in my hair. It was especially fun. I would like to do it next year too.”

Tanu in 1st grade added, “The Holi event was fun for me. I threw colors and some went in my eye. My whole family except my dad came here. It was fun because we got to go into the big playground. We always celebrated Holi at home before our school celebrated it this year. I got to celebrate with my friends in school.”

As SOAR members showcase religious and cultural events that we don’t typically celebrate at DIS, people can try out new experiences and learn about different cultural and ethnic groups. The club is planning additional celebrations for next year, so stay on the lookout for more fun.