What is Holi, and how are Long Island families celebrating?
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Laasya Mada, 12, and Sameha Vundecode, 12, at a celebration of the Hindu festival Holi, March 2022, in Selden. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
On the surface, you may know it for its rainbow romp, but the Hindu celebration of Holi, most widely known for its Festival of Colors in which celebrants shower everyone in their reach with vibrant colored waters and powders, is so much more.
The celebration, which this year begins on March 7 with Chhoti Holi (the night before) and continues on March 8 with the colors, represents the triumph of good versus evil as well as the opportunity to incinerate negativity and face the spring with renewed hope and love.
That love is spreading.
Long Island’s fast-growing South Asian community and the resulting increased numbers of Hindu temples in the area mean that Hindus no longer have to trek into Queens to celebrate and non-Hindus have more opportunities to share in the festivities and get to know their neighbors.
“Holi has both a religious and cultural significance,” says Deepa Goyal, 50, of Oyster Bay Cove, who will be celebrating Holi with her husband, daughter and community at Asa’Mai Hindu Temple in Hicksville.
While different regions and sects have different origin stories for Holi, one of the most widespread is the case of King Hiranyakashipu, who forced his subjects to worship him, rather than God. The king’s own son, Prince Prahlad, refused and was steadfast in his prayers to Lord Vishnu, a principal deity of Hinduism. So when the king, enraged, tasked his sister, Holika — who happened to be impervious to fire — to feed his own son, her nephew, the prince, to the flames, Lord Vishnu intervened, saved the prince, and reversed Holika’s powers so that she was the one who burned. The message is that good thoughts and actions will triumph and evil will go down in flames.
“We light the bonfire and give up the bad thoughts,” says Shoba Menon, president of the board of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Long Island (HTCCLI), established in Selden in 2019. ”Anything you’ve been harboring goes in so you can move forward. We should do that every day, but it is good to be reminded.”
While many temples will conduct small bonfire rituals of Chhot Holi for their community on the evening of March 7, they have adapted to the American workweek to make the Festival of Colors accessible.
Asa’Mai, for example, will celebrate Holi on Sunday, March 12, starting at noon. Deepa Goyal’s husband, Shashi, 54, can hardly wait. “This is one of the best festivals in India,” he says. “Everywhere you go you get something good to eat. And the whole point is to forget the past and start anew.”
For their daughter, Disha, 17 and a senior at Syosset High School, Holi maintains connections. She’ll go to the temple, but she’ll also go visiting. “Families try to keep the Holi spirit alive,” she says. “So if you’re Indian, you are going to someone’s house for Holi.”
In Central Islip, Pandit Chandradeo Mohan, spiritual leader of Bhavani Shankara Mandir, there will be both bonfire and Festival of Colors on March 12, beginning at about 10 a.m.
“Our prayers are done in Sanskrit and our songs are in Hindi,” says Pandit Mohan. “But we will explain in English so people can follow.” Then, around noon, the party starts.
“Utilizing the parking lot, we will have live music and a group of people singing authentic holy songs,” says Pandit Mohan. “During that time people play with the colors. It’s a very jolly time; people share their love and joy with the colors.”
He adds, “There is no Hindu festival that goes on without food. Everyone can partake of different sweets; food is part of the ritual.”
India is a big place and each region has its own everyday and sacred or ritualistic foods. Deepa Choyal is excited for the ghujiya (fruit and coconut stuffed fried pastries) and malpua (pancakes) of her native Rajasthan at Asa’Mai. Pandit Mohan looks forward to West Indian-influenced treats. Some events will offer complimentary snacks; others will have food for sale to raise funds.
If your next few weekends are booked, HTCCLI in Selden will be holding their colors (and music and food) celebration on Sunday, March 26. HTCCLI board president, Dr. Menon, who estimates more than 400 in their community, wants to reassure the public of one thing. “Everyone wears white to show off the colors,” she says. “The colors are cornstarch and there are natural dyes, so it does wash off pretty easily.
On the surface, you may know it for its rainbow romp, but the Hindu celebration of Holi, most widely known for its Festival of Colors in which celebrants shower everyone in their reach with vibrant colored waters and powders, is so much more.
What is Holi?
The celebration, which this year begins on March 7 with Chhoti Holi (the night before) and continues on March 8 with the colors, represents the triumph of good versus evil as well as the opportunity to incinerate negativity and face the spring with renewed hope and love.
That love is spreading.

Swapna Pennabadi, Pravigna Unguturu and Padmasree Gumudavelli at a celebration of the Hindu festival Holi, March 2022 in Selden. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Long Island’s fast-growing South Asian community and the resulting increased numbers of Hindu temples in the area mean that Hindus no longer have to trek into Queens to celebrate and non-Hindus have more opportunities to share in the festivities and get to know their neighbors.
“Holi has both a religious and cultural significance,” says Deepa Goyal, 50, of Oyster Bay Cove, who will be celebrating Holi with her husband, daughter and community at Asa’Mai Hindu Temple in Hicksville.
“The Festival of Colors celebrates Spring and love and togetherness. But the night before the colors we make a bonfire that has a religious significance. We burn off all the bad things.”
— Deepa Goyal, 50, of Oyster Bay Cove
While different regions and sects have different origin stories for Holi, one of the most widespread is the case of King Hiranyakashipu, who forced his subjects to worship him, rather than God. The king’s own son, Prince Prahlad, refused and was steadfast in his prayers to Lord Vishnu, a principal deity of Hinduism. So when the king, enraged, tasked his sister, Holika — who happened to be impervious to fire — to feed his own son, her nephew, the prince, to the flames, Lord Vishnu intervened, saved the prince, and reversed Holika’s powers so that she was the one who burned. The message is that good thoughts and actions will triumph and evil will go down in flames.
“We light the bonfire and give up the bad thoughts,” says Shoba Menon, president of the board of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Long Island (HTCCLI), established in Selden in 2019. ”Anything you’ve been harboring goes in so you can move forward. We should do that every day, but it is good to be reminded.”
How is Holi celebrated?
While many temples will conduct small bonfire rituals of Chhot Holi for their community on the evening of March 7, they have adapted to the American workweek to make the Festival of Colors accessible.
Asa’Mai, for example, will celebrate Holi on Sunday, March 12, starting at noon. Deepa Goyal’s husband, Shashi, 54, can hardly wait. “This is one of the best festivals in India,” he says. “Everywhere you go you get something good to eat. And the whole point is to forget the past and start anew.”
For their daughter, Disha, 17 and a senior at Syosset High School, Holi maintains connections. She’ll go to the temple, but she’ll also go visiting. “Families try to keep the Holi spirit alive,” she says. “So if you’re Indian, you are going to someone’s house for Holi.”
In Central Islip, Pandit Chandradeo Mohan, spiritual leader of Bhavani Shankara Mandir, there will be both bonfire and Festival of Colors on March 12, beginning at about 10 a.m.
“Our prayers are done in Sanskrit and our songs are in Hindi,” says Pandit Mohan. “But we will explain in English so people can follow.” Then, around noon, the party starts.
“Utilizing the parking lot, we will have live music and a group of people singing authentic holy songs,” says Pandit Mohan. “During that time people play with the colors. It’s a very jolly time; people share their love and joy with the colors.”
He adds, “There is no Hindu festival that goes on without food. Everyone can partake of different sweets; food is part of the ritual.”
India is a big place and each region has its own everyday and sacred or ritualistic foods. Deepa Choyal is excited for the ghujiya (fruit and coconut stuffed fried pastries) and malpua (pancakes) of her native Rajasthan at Asa’Mai. Pandit Mohan looks forward to West Indian-influenced treats. Some events will offer complimentary snacks; others will have food for sale to raise funds.
If your next few weekends are booked, HTCCLI in Selden will be holding their colors (and music and food) celebration on Sunday, March 26. HTCCLI board president, Dr. Menon, who estimates more than 400 in their community, wants to reassure the public of one thing. “Everyone wears white to show off the colors,” she says. “The colors are cornstarch and there are natural dyes, so it does wash off pretty easily.
Holi Celebrations
Sunday, March 12
10 a.m., Bhavani Shankara Mandir, 150 E. Suffolk Ave., Central Islip; 516-807-2383; bsmli.org
Noon, Asa’Mai Hindu Temple, 80 E. Barclay St., Hicksville; 516-433-4388; asamai.com
Sunday, March 26
1 to 5 p.m., Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of Long Island, 600F Middle Country Road, Selden; 631-743-0888; htccli.org
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