By Ethan Benedicto
A celebration of colour, unity, and triumph over good and evil was met with cheery smiles and laughter as the Holi Festival descended on Narre Warren.
On Friday, 14 March, the children of Apple Blossoms Early Learning in Narre Warren embraced the festivities of the Hindu celebration with the utmost glee, running from one corner of the playground to the next and dousing one another in paint and coloured powder.
Annika Wasmuth, the educational leader at the centre, said that taking part in festivities such as Holi and its innate celebratory acts of enjoyment and colour, enrich children with a sense of inclusivity and awareness of other cultures through play.
“Everything you do is important, especially at this age,” she said.
“Everything around the children in the world impacts them so much, and I think putting out messages from the festival of forgiveness and coming together is important.”
She added that children understand these sentiments, the meanings of things and messages behind celebrations.
Alongside other educators, the entire centre gathered beforehand to speak about the Holi Festival, where the educators began by putting paint on their faces, with the children following suit.
“They began to do it too, and they said happy Holi, and everybody says it back to you, and you keep doing it to each other,” Annika said.
“After that, we began the colour run, and look, this is something we’ve done for years, and I think it’s almost everyone’s favourite event to do.”
The children spent much of their energy chasing after one another, taking frequent pitstops at educators such as Annika to boost their speed by being doused in even more colour.
Mel, one of the other educators, said that despite the event being an annual practice, it’s still “beautiful”.
“We’ve got many educators here who can bring their own culture and adding colour.
“It’s the joy, really, it’s the whole coming together and seeing the laughter and, of course, colour,” she said.
Shivali, also an educator, said that it makes her happy to see the children being so intertwined with each other and the festival itself.
Recalling her life in India, she said that when the kids are laughing, they are also “learning how to understand each other and how to respect each other’s culture”.
“This is the best part for me, when they’re enjoying those other cultures as well,” she said.
While the children’s energy eventually waned from their marathon sprints across the school’s grounds, few expressed the want to remove the colour, with many donning their new look with big smiles.
