Playing the Color Festival!

This weekend, I had the great honor to perform at the Festival of Colors in Detroit, Michigan. I had never been to Michigan, so that in and of itself was exhilarating. When I agreed to the gig, I was not sure what it was for. I soon found out that it is a festival host by those of the Hari Krishna faith, a festival they call Holi. For those of you, like myself, that are not aware of the legend of the festival, I give you the story in brief:

According to legend, the word Holi is derived from the demoness, Holika. She was the sister of Hiranya Kashipu (the name meaning love of gold and a soft bed), a demon king, who having defeated the gods, proclaimed his supremacy over everyone else in the Universe. Enraged over his son’s ardent devotion to Lord Vishnu, Hiranya Kashipu decides to punish him. He takes the help of his sister, Holika, who is immune to any damage from fire. Holika carries the small boy Prahlad into the fire but a divine intervention destroys her and saves Prahlad from getting burned. Thus Holi is celebrated to mark the burning of the evil Holika.

The picture above is from my drums watching a group of drummers performing on Dhol drums, just rocking out! It was a blast getting a sample of what rich and vibrant culture the Hari Krishna have. And if you ever get the chance, go to a Festival of Colors!