— from Jane Alden —
Photo by Cara Russell
Kudos, thank you, congratulations, and “Wow,” to Andy Martin for creating an UTTERLY wonderful community play/celebration/event Saturday afternoon at Waterfront Park in Eastsound! It was a Festival of Colors, akin to the Indian Holi Festival, in which participants bombard each other with gorgeous, non-toxic paint pigment. The festival is described as:
“a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil and a celebration of the arrival of spring and harvests to come. It’s the festival of colors, emotions, and happiness.
The central ritual is throwing and applying colored powders on friends and family, which gives the holiday its common name “Festival of Colors.” Clouds of colors dancing in the wind carry the message of love and happiness across walls, neighbors, and hearts.”
The participants in Eastsound were children all, from ages 4 to 80 and beyond. It was an experience that released the five-year-old in everyone as we all delightedly pelted each other with gorgeous pink, and blue, orange and purple and green, non-toxic pigment. At times you could see nothing but clouds of color! It was like doing something that should have been very naughty, but, on the contrary, was, on this day encouraged, approved of and rejoiced in!
I cannot adequately express how profoundly energizing and uplifting this was! Think about it – a bunch of people, all ages, met in the park and threw color all over each other! Playing like children! To my way of thinking, this was a community service of the highest order!
Thank you, Andy Martin!
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