OPINION: International mission on display with Holi event
By Juan Antonio Molina Jr.
Bridge Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, March 31, 2026
As a campus freshman, I’m constantly looking for fun events to attend. From the Spring 2026 cultural events like Lunar New Year to the Fall 2025 school-spirit events like Maroon Madness, there are several notables.
Being involved in the community, alongside my fellow students, is important to me. This is why when I heard of the Holi event on campus, I made sure to check my schedule and invited friends to attend. As a history major, I was naturally interested in the meaning of Holi but I wanted to see for myself and form my own perspective of the festival before relying on a quick internet search for my information.
My first impression of Holi was that it was a fun Indian festival about colors and community and celebration as most cultural celebrations are. I showed up with my friends and was greeted immediately by the sounds of laughter and screams of students as they ran around throwing colored chalk at one another.
“Holi: The Festival of Colors,” read the white shirts being handed to students at the event. For most of us, it was an excuse to ignore our studies for a few hours and just run around with friends. On my walk back to my dorm, I took the time to think: TAMIU is supposed to be a proud international university that celebrates different cultures and I didn’t want to leave the event with only a surface-level understanding of such an interesting and eye-catching celebration.
What I learned from my internet research was that Holi is one of many major Hindu festivals celebrated throughout South Asia. It celebrates the love between the deities Radha and Krishna; Krishna is worshiped as the supreme god. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness and love. Radha is mentioned as the supreme goddess, who is the feminine counterpart and internal potency of Krishna; she is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion and devotion.
Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, reflected through the end of winter and arrival of spring in India and Nepal and the blossoming of love. This significance may not matter to all, not all of us are history majors, but I think knowing what I know now about Holi, I was able to enjoy the event more. I spent the event with friends in the sun and wind, almost like a battle of fun against seasonal depression.
