Circle your calendars for next Tuesday, March 26th, because it’s almost time for Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. While the celebration’s back-story is a little gory, the festival primarily celebrates the colors of springtime, the coming crops and the season of love beginning as winter comes to an end. 

The celebration typically begins with a bonfire at dawn and continues all day through the streets of Hindu cities, with people dressed in white clothing throwing colored flower and spraying water on each other in wild celebration.

Last year I was lucky enough to find myself in Jaipur (in Rajasthan, India) for Holi and I can’t tell you what an exuberant, exciting festival it really is. Not only did I have permission to shower complete strangers with neon colors, but everywhere I went I saw grown men covered in hot pinks on motorbikes and little girls in rainbow colors. The atmosphere is joyous and mischievous.

It's a festival everyone can love.

So while you may not get your whole city to celebrate with you, it is a great game to play with friends at home or on your college campus.

Here’s what you’ll do: Have everyone participating find white clothing from Goodwill. Supply colored powder (and water guns if you feel inspired) and have fun in your backyard turning everyone’s outfits into a rainbow of colorful fun. You can separate into teams, with each team using a different color, or just throw up all the colors in one dramatic cloud, spending the rest of your time smearing the colors all over one another.

For the dyes: You can buy Holi colors online or you can make your own. They are generally just a mix of non-toxic pigments and flour (though make sure not to use food coloring because it will stain your face and hands!)

For a more natural approach try some of the ideas below.

For a beautiful yellow try turmeric powder with flour. Hibiscus tea leaves ground with flower will make a beautiful pink.  You might also consider going to your local florist to see if they will give you their extra petals or damaged flowers. One of the best parts of Holi was throwing huge showers of flower petals on each other and watching the petals float through the air.  Certain flowers, like Marigolds, can also make beautiful colors and even simple greens like spinach and mint can be used for luscious green pigments. Click here to view a video that can show you other ideas.

If in the worst case next Tuesday turns out to be too cold for the celebration, at least find a rainbow array of colorful clothing at Goodwill and sport your finds to show your appreciation for this wonderful holiday. Then make plans to have the full celebration in warmer weather.

All together it doesn’t take much to create a Holi event, but the celebration is one that everyone will remember. What better way to celebrate the coming of spring, than by showing your joy in colors? (And make sure to take lots of pictures!)