All the Colors

Bright yellow and red fabric twisted and flowed as girls from the Chhandam Youth Dance Company performed a beautiful choreography. It was just one of many fascinating shows at the Spring India Day in SF.

The whole event was an explosion of color, song and dance. In an age of globalization it's refreshing to see celebrations of cultural heritage.

There were fashion shows and competitions where people dressed up in costumes representative of regions within India. A woman representing Maharashtra dazzled the crowd with fun dance moves and a fantastic outfit. 

There was even a small wedding ceremony. The groom rode in on a horse and a procession of girls surrounded the tent where the ceremony would take place.

The bride wore beautiful silver and bronze henna designs created by the Henna Lounge.

The woman put a colorful necklace around the man’s neck. I’m not sure what the significance of it was and wish I knew. 

The bride was an Indian American while the groom was caucasian. The couple had been married for many years but decided to rededicate their vows through an Indian wedding. It was fun to see this small ceremony.

I had been there all day that my ears were ringing from the music but it was totally worth it. I had a blast. I’ve been able to travel quite a bit over the years but have not yet been to India (though it’s been at the top of my list for a while!). This event made me want to go all the more.

Towards the end of the day I came across a stand called "Sarang" that sold Indian apparel and other items. Their theme was “All the Colors” and I felt like this theme summed up the day’s wide array of events. I hope the Bay Area can continue celebrate a spectrum of cultures.