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Penn Museum Celebrates the Arrival of Spring with CultureFest! Holi, the Festival of Colors

February 03, 2025

Jill DiSanto, Public Relations Director

215.898.2956

jdisanto@upenn.edu

person throwing colored powders
The Hindu tradition of Holi celebrates the arrival of spring through the joyous throwing of brightly colored powders. Photo: Penn Museum.

High-resolution images are available for download here.

PHILADELPHIA, February 3, 2025 — In partnership with Three Aksha and the South Asia Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Museum will mark the beginning of spring with CultureFest! Holi on Saturday, March 15, 11:00 am-4:00 pm.

Known as the Festival of Colors, Holi is a Hindu tradition that signals the arrival of spring—representing renewal, rebirth, love, unity, and the triumph of good over evil. It is a time to embrace the positive and release negative energy. Observed in India, Nepal and in communities around the world, this meaningful tradition celebrates the divine love of the Hindu god Krishna and his devotee, Radha.

CultureFest! Holi is a family friendly festival featuring storytelling, colorful art-making, live music, riveting dance performances, and a marketplace. The highlight of the day will be the joyful throwing of brightly colored powders to embrace the spirit of Holi and its message of harmonious new beginnings.

The CultureFest! Holi lineup includes:

  • 11:00 am-11:45 am Three Aksha musicians in Harrison Auditorium
  • 12:00 pm-12:20 pm Folk Forms of India: Led by Nruthu Aaloka and Meena Venkat, this dance performance honors Radha and Krishna—plus an interactive talk in Widener Lecture Hall
  • 1:00-1:30 pm Storytelling
  • 2:00 pm-2:20 pm Folk Forms of India, dances of Radha and Krishna
  • 2:30 pm-3:30 pm Three Aksha dance ensemble presents UTSAV, classical Indian dance Bharatanatyam in Harrison Auditorium
  • 3:50 pm-4:00 pm Holi celebration in the courtyard with colorful powder throwing

Viji Rao, Artistic Director of Three Aksha, a dance company and educational institute, helped to organize CultureFest! Holi. For her, this traditional festival conveys a timeless love story.

“Lord Krishna is dark blue-skinned and falls in love with Radha, but he is embarrassed by his dark blue skin,” Rao explains. “He playfully colors Radha’s face during a game—and she falls in love with him. This is the origin of throwing colored powder and water during Holi.”

All CultureFest! Holi activities are included with Penn Museum admission.

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About the Penn Museum
The Penn Museum’s mission is to be a center for inquiry and the ongoing exploration of humanity for our University of Pennsylvania, regional, national, and global communities, following ethical standards and practices.

Through conducting research, stewarding collections, creating learning opportunities, sharing stories, and creating experiences that expand access to archaeology and anthropology, the Museum builds empathy and connections across diverse cultures

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