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The Indian Students Association (ISA) welcomes spring with bursts of color, bringing a traditional Indian festival known as “Holi” to WSU through their “Festival of Colors.”

ISA President Akanksha Thorave has attended the festival every year since she first came to WSU three years ago.

“There’s a lot of stories behind [Holi]. One thing that we follow is the welcoming of spring,” Thorave said. “People get really excited, we basically play with colors.”

Prateek Gaur, senior electrical engineering major, is helping Thorave throughout the event while keeping participants engaged.

“[I’m] looking forward to organize, we don’t have many events outdoors and this is one of them,” Gaur said. “The energy is pretty high; everyone is excited to play.”

A non-toxic, body-safe, biodegradable and washable color powder, approved to be used at the event, is mixed with water for activation. People usually bring water guns and water balloons as a fun way to spread the color, but unlike past festivals, this year’s falls on a rainy day.

“Personally, I am excited for the rain, now we won’t need water because of the rain,” Thorave said. “Some people are bummed about it, but I feel it’s going to be fun.”

During this time of the year it is natural for the body to become fatigued as the seasons transition from cold to warm. To counteract this effect during the festival in India, people sing and speak with louder voices and, combined with loud music, the celebration helps revitalize the human body, according to the Holi Festival website.

Pullman’s Festival of Colors celebrates Indian culture with Indian refreshments and dancing to a DJ’s Bollywood music. The community has the chance to indulge in a fun Indian tradition for an afternoon, Thorave said.

“We don’t have Indian restaurants and we don’t have much India stuff to do here,” Thorave said. “But events like these actually bring back the memories for Indian students.”

Holi in India brings the society together to forget hardships, and helps the community reestablish lost or damaged connections with others, according to the website. The festival in Pullman is meant to do the same thing here.

India celebrated Holi this year on the night of March 12 and continued celebrating throughout the next day.

Multiple legends are associated with Holi, legends that present the moral that the power of truth is the triumph of good over evil. The celebration reminds the people of India and anyone who celebrates it to believe in truth rather than engaging in immoral practices for small gains, according to the website.

Attendees of the Festival of Colors are encouraged to wear white and not to bring their own colored powders. The amount of powder provided this year doubled to a total of 50 pounds of color, since the 25 pounds of color ran out before the event ended last year.

“The entry fee for ‘India Night’ is kind of expensive to know what Indian culture is about,” Thorave said. “[Festival of Colors] is completely free so everyone should join in.”

The festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Reaney Park.