Ke’Aria Frelix
Staff Writer/MC301
Student Zacchaeus Simmons Curates Holi Fest in Honor of JSU Global Week
Bold, vibrant colors flew through the air landing on the carefree and joyous Jackson State University students as they celebrated Thee Holi Festival, Tiger style.
Sponsored by JSU Global, Zacchaeus Simmons organized the event, which took place on March 28 at the intramural field from 3-6 p.m. The event was a part of the weeklong International Week festivities.
Simmons explained the history and meaning of the festival.
“Thee Holi Festival is basically an Indian cultural event where you throw colored powder on each other and in the Indian culture, each color means something different. Things like strength, love, power. This was just something for students at Jackson State to do differently with a cultural twist. I feel the parties and hotspots here are the same thing over and over again. So, I wanted to do something different,” said Simmons, senior industrial technology major from Jackson, Miss.
The event included games such as musical chairs, a potato sack race, tug-a-war, and kickball. Simmons also incorporated his business within the event.
“The first three games I mentioned, the people get a prize if you win the game and have my Zacari shirts. The prizes are my brand. A hat with painting on it, and the other prize is apparel with a photoshoot from my boy Twan,” said Simmons.
This inspiration for the event was a tribute to Indian culture and also to introduce that culture to Jackson State students.
Students like Darren Washington, a senior computer science major from Mount Bayou, Miss., enjoyed his experience at the event.
“Coming to this event, I was kind of skeptical because I usually don’t go to a lot events on campus. Then, I hear about throwing powder at other people, I thought about it getting in my eyes and it’s going to burn. When I came out here, it was actually pretty fun, though. The powder did not burn and it made my skin feel smooth. It makes me look very beautiful. It’s a very fun experience for someone who doesn’t like to get out a lot,” said Washington.
Kenjanae McGowan, a freshman meteorology major from Jackson, Miss., was intrigued by the social media posts about the event and decided to attend.
“I heard about this event on Instagram. I like it because it brings everybody together. There are a lot of diverse people at Jackson State and a lot of diverse cultures. We came together and had fun,” said McGowan.
According to www.holi.org, Holi is considered one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country. It is sometimes called the “festival of love” because on this day, people unite forgetting all resentments and bad feeling towards each other.
