As our University welcomes students from 87 different nationalities, it is easy to make friends from all around the world and get a better understanding of different cultures. I enjoy tasting different cuisines and learning about multicultural traditions; therefore, I try to get involved with international events organised by our University. Not so long ago, we have celebrated the Chinese New Year at the University’s Student Union which helped me learn more about the Chinese culture and traditions. Recently, we have also celebrated the Indian festival of colour – Holi.
The International Team, the University of Worcester International College, the Indian Society and the Student Union have collaborated to bring this colourful celebration to the University of Worcester. To those of you who might not know, Holi is an Indian festival which celebrates the end of winter and welcomes the beginning of spring. Holi is considered as one of the most celebrated festivals in India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country. Indians also sometimes refer to the celebration as the “festival of love” as on this day people get to unite, forgetting all resentments and all types of bad feelings towards each other.
Holi festival is well known for being accompanied by throwing vibrant colours in the air, which symbolise positivity in our lives. Although the celebration usually lasts for a single day and night, the University event managed to fit the majority of traditional Holi activities into a couple of hours.
The whole event had an uplifting and friendly atmosphere which allowed both international and home students to enjoy a full afternoon of activities at the City Campus. Apart from food, students could also try traditional Indian floor art and canvas painting. Taking part in Holi was a great way to learn more about Indian culture and traditions, taste some traditional Indian food and chat about the festival with students from India.
I like the fact that the University organises events for international students. Not only for the reason that events like these bring diversity to our university experience but mainly because even though we (international students) consider Worcester our second home, events like these allow the University to bring a bit of our real home to Worcester.
Worcester Student Life 