Hundred of students simultaneously launch corn flour into the air during the second “color toss” at the Indian festival of Holi. (Mason Trinca/Emerald)

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, originates from India and holds its roots in Hinduism. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

Students throw colored powder into the air in celebration of springtime colors as part of the Indian festival of Holi. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

Freshman Spanish major Chrislyn Kircher flashes a wide grin as she experiences her first Holi festival. “It just looked cool!” Kircher noted, after discovering the Facebook event invite for the color fest. Kircher applied her own face paint. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

LeeAnn Sturrock is balanced upside down by her friend Tovi Ross. The South Eugene High School pair of seniors drew a crowd of onlookers as they displayed their acrobatic maneuvers among the grass. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

UO students gather at the EMU lawn to celebrate the Indian Holi Festival of Color, which is to commemorate the vibrant colors of spring time by throwing colorful powder at one another. (Andrew Seng/Freelance)

Pre-business freshman Archana Sriram pauses from a Super-Soaker fight with her friends during the third annual Holi festival. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

The evening’s second synchronized “color toss” kicks off as students hurl their handfuls of multicolored corn flour into the air in unison. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

Sophomore biology student Nardos Tadesse’s face is an illustration of the multicolored packets of corn flour that are flung onto participants during a Holi celebration. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

LeeAnn Sturrock balances upon friend Tovi Ross in an acrobatic act displayed amidst the water- and powder-slinging of Holi. Ross and Sturrock are fellow seniors at South Eugene High School. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

A student receives a palm (caked in multicolored corn flour) to the side of his face as the event kicks off. The third annual Holi festival was celebrated at the UO on the EMU lawns. The event featured packets of multicolored corn flour thrown among a throng of students in celebration of the Indian tradition for the new spring season. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

UO student officers of the Indian Subcontinent provided over 200 pounds of colored cornflower imported from India to celebrate the Indian Holi Festival of Color held at the EMU lawn on Thursday, May 16. (Andrew Seng/Freelance)

Freshman Zoe Panchesson laughs heartily as she takes a break from the color madness of Holi. The cinema studies major found a quiet patch of grass to rest on near the edge of the EMU lawns where Holi took place. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

A student takes a shot of water to the face. Attendees were encouraged to bring water guns and water slingers. Several unsuspecting victims also saw large bins of water poured upon them. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

A wide assortment of colored powders were available for students to throw. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

Attendees were often soaked with water launched from a hose. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

A student watches as her friend throws colored powder into the air. (Nate Barrett/Emerald)

A student’s stained teeth provides some insight into the extent that the colored walls of corn flour permeated every crevice of participants in Holi. (Michael Arellano/Emerald)

Holi, the Indian festival of Color, took place on the EMU East Lawn on May 16, 2013. (Tess Freeman/Emerald)