A “wild and raucous … frolic of friendly playfulness” will take place this weekend at Neffsville Community Park.
That’s how the publication Hinduism Today describes Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, which the South Asian Association of Lancaster is gearing up to celebrate on Sunday.
The group is expecting a crowd of 200 to 250 people, SAAL team member Kamlesh Rathod said.
“It’s a festival of colors to welcome spring,” he said.
Holi celebrations typically begin with a bonfire the night before. People exchange greetings, rub each other’s faces with colored powder and splash each other with colored water.
SAAL will celebrate with a bonfire and colors this Sunday, and also plenty of South Asian music and food, Rathod said.
It’s an especially fun event for children, he said.
You don’t have to be Hindu to enjoy the day, he said: Everyone is welcome.
The association does ask people interested in coming to register at its website, so it can plan accordingly.
The cost is $5 per person for association members, $10 for non-members. Children under age 5 are admitted free.
The festivities will run from 10:30 a.m. to about 2 p.m. Sunday at the park, which is on Petersburg Road (Route 722) just west of Lititz Pike.
According to Hinduism Today, Holi celebrates “love, positive values and goodness.”
The bonfire commemorates a legend about a wicked king and queen and their virtuous son. The couple hatched a plan to burn him alive, but he survived, thanks to divine intervention.
The focus on color comes from a couple of legends involving Krishna, Hinduism Today said.
Krishna, who is an incarnation of the god Vishnu, is often depicted as black-skinned or blue-skinned in Hindu artwork.