By Vaidehi Tembhekar
Holi Celebrations at Sheffield
Holi is the day when people of many different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds come together and spread colour on each other to celebrate the beginning of the new season, spring (calm down, it's a LOT more fun than it sounds :p ). It's basically the 'Colour Run' but without the run! :p
Holi celebrations commence with a Holika bonfire on the night before Holi. People gather to sing, dance and celebrate. The following morning is when participants play, chase and throw colour on each other using dry powder and sometimes coloured water. Water guns and water filled balloons are also common items used to gear up for water fights!
NHSF (National Hindu Students Forum) Sheffield put on a great event for the celebration of this festival in March, 2 weeks after the actual date of the celebration. With over 200 tickets sold, the Saturday afternoon Holi festival taking place at Endcliffe was something everyone was talking about! For those of you that are thinking of coming to Sheffield, Endcliffe is the most popular university student accommodation amongst first year students.
Students didn’t let the gloomy weather stop them from lighting the sky up with a rainbow of colours on Sunday afternoon.
The ticket was priced reasonably and included a free printed t-shirt, a bag of colour and ofcourse delicious bhel (which is a famous Indian street food and a type of chaat). There was a DJ playing bollywood music all afternoon.
The event kicked off at 11 am and went on till about 3 pm. It started off with a couple of energetic performances by BollySoc getting everyone on their feet and psyched up for the event! :D Following this, everyone was handed their free bag of colour to start off the morning with a bang!
Over 200 students gathered at the Endcliffe Village on Sunday, counted down from 10 — then threw colored powder into the air, dancing and shouting to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Despite the chilly weather, all types of colors, from purple to yellow, filled the air.
Students could be seen walking into the event and drenching themselves in the happiness of the festival. We were enjoying ourselves to the sound of the dhol and dance. Great efforts were made to make it a safe and fun experience with the use of gulal and there was no usage of water.
After three hours of powder, water and laughter, students did not seem to want to stop celebrating.
The celebration of these festivals organized by various societies is what makes Sheffield a home away from home for most international students! :D I am proud to have been elected as vice president of NHSF and I'd like each one of you reading this to make sure you don't miss out on this exciting event next year! Come to Sheffield and celebrate Holi with us :D 
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