Usually the Middlesex Savings Lot parking lot in Natick Center is nothing more than a utilitarian expanse of black asphalt, just a spot to park the car while you run into the bank and do some business. Last weekend the drab spot was filled with the sound of Bollywood music, the aroma of Indian food, and color—lots and lots of color. The Holi Fesival had come to town.
Bright and eco-friendly dry powder filled the air as participants covered themselves and each other in the brilliant hues. Because Holi represents the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil, the relief that the battle has once again been won calls for the very air to be filled with color and joy. As powder is tossed around, it brightens the hair and clothing of revelers, practically becoming embedded in their very pores.
Sponsored by the Mass Cultural Council, community partners, and organized by many volunteers, the festival echoed the holiday celebrated in the Indian subcontinent. Also known as the “festival of colors” or the “festival of love,” Holi is associated with the season of hope and new beginnings.
Red symbolizes love and fertility; yellow, the color of tumeric, recalls traditional Indian cooking; blue represents the Hindu God Krishna, and green is for new beginnings. So if you noticed that the crowd in Natick Center seemed a little more colorful, a touch more vibrant than usual, that’s why.
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