Ribbons of dyed water zipped through the springtime air, while clouds of colorful powder enveloped EIU’s Library Quad.
Vibrant music painted the air with lively tunes, as celebrators clad in white danced along, all backdropped by the stately Booth Library.
Eastern’s unofficial Holi celebration was well under way Friday afternoon.
“I would say Holi was definitely a success,” said Ben Reinbolt, one of the organizers for the event.
Reinbolt, who works with the office of international students and scholars, worked with the university board to plan the Holi celebration.
Holi is the Hindu festival of colors, love and spring, traditionally celebrated in March. Eastern’s Holi, however, was scheduled for late April, the reason being weather related, Reinbolt said.
Even at the later date, the temperature was still less than ideal during the event. Friday’s temperature peaked at 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
“There was a lot of concern from students,” said Reinbolt. “This is cold for them, especially because it was in the 80s earlier in the week. I mean, even despite the weather, there is enough interest that people will show.”
And people did show, around 70 in total.
Senior psychology major Michael Mboyo, head of human potential for the university board, acted as Reinbolt’s second half when planning for unofficial Holi. Mboyo felt Holi is helpful for making international students feel more at home.
“Holi is a Hindu festival, so I think this was a great way to bring out our Indian population to celebrate,” Mboyo said. “I know a lot of them typically can’t go home for winter break or spring break, so these events can bring a piece of home to campus for them. That’s always the best part.”
While the crowd mostly consisted of Indian international students, the festival pulled many others into the festivities.
The festivities started around 1:30 p.m. and went on until the music was cut off just after 4. The cleanup process followed shortly after.
“As long as we get the plastic cleaned up, it’s not that big of a deal,” Reinbolt said. “We try to restore it to how it looked before or maybe better than before we came.”
Reinbolt contributed the success of the Holi festivities to the advertising done by him and the university board. He said fliers, word of mouth and calendar updates drove attendance at the event.
“Everyone loves it because it’s the end of the semester,” said Reinbolt. “[Students] need something to blow off some steam. So yeah, it’s nice.”
Aidan Cusack can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
