Meadows Elementary and Robinson Elementary in Manhattan Beach both hosted Holi celebrations earlier this week in recognition of the popular Hindu festival.

Holi honors the arrival of spring and the end of winter with a festival of friendship and love also known as the Festival of Colors, as one popular aspect of the festival is playing with and throwing non-toxic colored powders.

"The kids had a blast and it was so much fun celebrating Holi at Meadows with our Meadows community," said Meadows parent and festival organizer Susmita Patnala. Patnala added that it appeared to be the first time Holi had been celebrated at Meadows and she was "grateful and extremely happy" for the opportunity to share the tradition.

 Dance workshop at Meadows Elementary. Photo credit: Pete Halvorsen

Meadows' celebration started with a morning assembly that featured an Indian dance workshop led by Aakansha, founder of BollyPop Dance school. Askansha led students through different types of dances from different states of India. 

In the afternoon there was another dance workshop, a dance performance that included performances by local children, and then Holi color play. The afternoon event brought together around 450 adults and children, said Patnala.

“It was absolutely magical to participate in tossing the color in the air and on each other. How many times do you get to be that messy at school?” said Meadows Principal Michelle Krzmarzick. “Not only did we celebrate this Indian festival together, but we also created lasting memories and a new appreciation for another culture. And we can’t wait to do it again.”

At Robinson Elementary, Principal Jackie O'Sullivan read a book called Festival of Colors that explains about Holi.  

"Then we rocked some great Indian music and the kids went to town on the colors," said Yea-Lan Chiang, co-president of the Robinson Elementary PTSA.

Patnala is part of the Meadows Cares Committee, modeled after a similar committee at Robinson known as Robinson Cares, which brings together parent representatives from each of the programs that aim to create a "culture of care" at the school. Those programs include No Place for Hate, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Special Educations Advisory Council (SEAC), English Language Learner (ELL) and PTA.

Patnala proposed the idea of celebrating Holi to the committee, then got the thumbs-up from Krzmarzick, and subsequently got sponsorship for the event from the PTA.

“In February, we celebrated the Lunar New Year with a Lion Dance Assembly and we learned about AAPI. We discussed how important it was to show our community how different cultures celebrate events, said Krzmarzick. “I think that appreciating each other’s celebrations is one meaningful way to respect different cultures. I also think it gives students from different cultures an opportunity to feel proud of their heritage.”

Kids had the opportunity to learn more about Holi in the week leading up to it, added Patnala.

"The previous week, every class got to know about Holi when they visited the library," she said. "We wanted to incorporate learning about the festival and celebration in the kids' curriculum and decided that the library maybe the best place, as every class attends the library once a week and all the kids will get the same message."

Patnala continued, "At the library, Mrs. Primm was great; she decorated the library and showcased books about Holi and India. I donated two books about Holi to the library and sent her a PowerPoint presentation about Holi that also has videos about Holi. So the kids learned and knew about Holi before the morning assembly and Holi event."