Holi, the annual Hindu festival of colors, is approaching.

Holi begins March 9 and marks the closing of winter and welcomes spring through vibrant, beautiful colors and free-flowing celebration.

The core of the celebration entails dousing celebrants in an array of powerful, colorful powders.

Twenty-year-old business major Meera Suresh said she and many other Indian-Americans celebrate Holi more as a cultural event than a religious celebration.

“This is one of the most engaging activities,” Suresh said. “So you have a lot of young Indian-Americans that really go full out.”

For Jessica Butwell, a 24-year-old environmental science major, being in Mumbai for the Holi festival was an enlightening experience.

“I went with my best friend who is Indian, so I already felt familiar with the culture  … but even she wasn’t prepared for what we encountered,” she said.

Butwell was referring to the consumption of bhang ki thandai, a cannabis-based drink. The recipe is about 3,000 years old and believed to assist in the meditational aspect of the Holi celebration.

“[The drink] definitely helped us relax and get in the spirit…” Butwell said, laughing.

People engage in rhythmic dance and high-pitched song. Spreads of food and drink are in abundance. Holi holds no bars — everyone is free in mind and spirit on this day.

The holiday was born out of reverence for the story of Prahlad, who displayed fierce devotion to Lord Vishnu, a supreme god among gods in Hinduism.

Holi represents the triumph of good over evil and the importance of sticking to one’s beliefs.

“Holi literally means ‘burning’, which comes from the story in which Prahlad survived a burning fire because he was a devotee of Vishnu,” said Deepika Banerjee, a 21-year-old nursing student. “We have bonfires and dance around it drenched in colors and water… It’s fun to get crazy like that with family and friends.”