Every year Spanish Fork turns into a giant rainbow cloud on a selected day in March. Students and residents from all over Utah Valley travel to The Lotus Temple to celebrate the arrival of Spring. This is the largest celebration of Holi, The Festival of Colors, in the Western Hemisphere. Those in attendance can purchase bags of colored chalk which are then thrown into the air at a certain time of the day.
Some people argue that this is sacrilegious of Mormons to attend an event like this. The celebration honors Krishna, the Supreme Person and the Godhead in Hinduism. Songs are sung to worship him during the festival along with a few chants. However, it is also argued that this opens people’s eyes up to other cultures and their beliefs. It is a festival of happiness and joy for the new season.
Here in this “bubble” of Utah Valley there is always going to be controversy over things like this. One thing is for sure, this controversy hasn’t stopped people from attending and making this a huge and enjoyable event.
[easyembed field=”Vimeo”]
