A few weeks ago I photographed one of the most enjoyable events I’ve ever witnessed. My good friends Ryan Buller,Ben Morris and Suzanne Tylander were kind enough to invite me on a road trip up to the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, to photograph the Holi Fesitval of Colors. Roughly 80,000 people showed up, and we were among the first to arrive. There was a buzz in the air that seemed to grow throughout the morning – and then all hell broke loose. From sun up to sun down people celebrated wildly and threw tons of colorful powder on each other. Every two hours the day was punctuated by mass “throwings” that literally blocked out the sun with an enormous cloud of color and filled our lungs with dust. Everyone was in great spirits, and I found the experience to be overwhelmingly warm and joyful.
Holi is a Hindu faith practice that celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of Spring. When you consider that the state of Utah hosts the highest concentration of Mormons in the world, it’s easy to appreciate the spiritual and cultural diversity taking place here.