Indian community shares colorful celebration of spring

When color breaks through the grays and sepias of winter to announce the arrival of spring, it's time to get outdoors and celebrate.

For the eighth year, Naperville's Grand Pavilion at the Riverwalk will host Holi - The Festival of Colors as the new season begins.

"It's a spring festival. It's celebrated in the spring season in India. It mostly comes in March in India," said Sarita Sharma of Simply Vedic, a nonprofit cultural organization. "It's a celebration of the new weather, which brings forth flowers and plants."

The free event will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8. Rooted in Hindu tradition, the event is open to all, Sharma said.

"It's a combination of religion and the new season coming, but the message is for the community at large, for everyone to be friends, bury the hatchet," she said.

"We have all kinds of people (attend). It has such a universal appeal. This is not limited to us only. We have 60 to 70 percent non-Indians. The main essence of this festival is what we bring to Naperville."

Attendees may purchase $2 bags of dry, colored powder that are playfully applied to skin and clothes and tossed at other attendees in a spirit of fun.

"We have six types: red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange. We sell those colors. People apply them on each other and throw it at each other. We all look the same," she said.

The powder is "starch-based natural colors," the group's website states.

"You can just brush it off. It can be washed out," she said. "Don't come in your best clothes. We do not allow outside colors for safety reasons. They have to buy from us because we know what we have."

She said the holiday is widely celebrated in India, where she lived in the ancient city of Varanasi until she immigrated to the United States 24 years ago. She and her husband, Naveen, lived in California before moving to Naperville 18 years ago. Naveen, who hails from New Delhi, arrived in the United States 32 years ago, she said.

The nonprofit Simply Vedic was launched 11 years ago.

"It brings awareness and education about the Indian culture, to create a bridge among cultures," Sharma said.

Food for sale at the festival will feature $5 lunch platters featuring vegan and vegetarian dishes of curry, rice, bread, yogurt and sweet desserts, she said.

Entertainment will include a live band performing popular music, recorded Indian music and Indian folk dance performances by Rhythms and Grace Dance Studio dancers, she said.

Vendors also will be at the festival selling jewelry, clothing and purses, she said.

Volunteers, including high school students, help stage the event, which will go on even if it rains, she said.

Sharma said people travel from all over the region to attend Holi - The Festival of Colors.

"There are lots of photographers because it's so colorful," she said.

If you go

What: Holi - The Festival of Colors, presented by Simply Vedic

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8

Where: Grand Pavilion at the Riverwalk, west of Centennial Beach, Naperville

Admission: Free

Info: thefestivalofcolors.org