Longtime friends Dipika Subramaniam and Afreen Hameed attended high school in India.
On Saturday, they were among the attendees at Penn Museum there to embrace the coming of spring by observing the Hindu holiday Holi. The museum collaborated with the University of Pennsylvania’s South Asia Center and the Three Aksha Dance Company to host events and vendors for CultureFest! Holi.
The friends were thrilled to celebrate Holi in Philly. Both felt “at home” watching the dance performances and participating in the traditional (and fun) color throw, smearing orange powder on bypassers.
Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring on the Hindu calendar. The holiday also celebrates the triumph of good over evil and the beauty of love.
CultureFest! Holi provided live performances that served as both celebration and education. The dance workshop allowed visitors to watch young dancers perform routines, then learn a few moves from the instructor.
“Community is hard sometimes, so it’s nice to have something where you don’t talk to anybody,” said Subramaniam, who practices Hinduism. “You just do.”
The Three Aksha Dance Company also presented UTSAV, a series of performances to celebrate the coming of spring. Between dance numbers, artistic director Viji Rao educated the audience on the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam and encouraged them to follow her hand gestures. Rao also recounted tales from Hindu mythology related to each dance, as well as Holi’s teachings and festivities.
Holi is also known as the Hindu Festival of Colors because celebrants wear white and mark themselves and others with bright-colored powders. Guests were very enthusiastic about the color throw and started it a few minutes earlier than planned. Strangers, family and friends offered each other scoops of colored powder to throw in the air or decorated each other with it during the festivities’ finale.
Subramaniam and Hameed, the two friends, appreciated the collaboration between the Penn Museum, the South Asia Center and the Three Aksha Dance Company.
“This is a celebration where you don’t have to be invited and just go,” said Subramaniam. “It’s meant for everybody, so always invite yourself.”
