Hundreds of people gathered outside Union Market in D.C. yesterday to celebrate the Festival of Colors, known as Holi. There was music, food, and of course, lots of colored powder.

Holi is primarily a Hindu holiday that’s meant to signal the arrival of spring, the love of the gods Radha and Krishna, and the triumph of good over evil. It’s celebrated throughout the Indian subcontinent and the diaspora around the world – including the D.C. region.

Among those who came to honor the day was Rohita Mocharla, who says her mother would celebrate Holi when she was growing up in South India. Mocharla says she believes that while not everyone may have grown up with the holiday, it is still special because anyone can enjoy it.

“I think just being able to celebrate with the community as a whole, regardless of like where the holiday originated from, is a thing that we enjoy to do,” says Mocharla, who lives in D.C.

Priya Ammu, who was born in Bombay and grew up celebrating each year, says she was happy to see such a big turnout to mark the start of spring. Ammu is the founder of DC Dosa, one of the local businesses who partnered up to host Holi at Union Market.

“Look around you – it’s all the happiness and joy,” says Ammu. “Honestly, I just have goose bumps looking out at this crowd. I’m like taken back to my school days in India with the joy. That’s the only word I can express.”

Along with creating a space for people to honor the culture, Ammu says she and the other organizers also wanted to celebrate International Women’s Day, which coincided with Holi this year. As a result, a portion of the event’s proceeds will be donated to SEWA Bharat – an organization based in India that supports women workers and entrepreneurs.

As someone who grew up in the Sikh religion, Sharlene Bagga says that growing up, she didn’t really celebrate Holi, but that changed when she became the mother of two boys. Since then, she’s been trying to expose them to more traditions. In recent years, she and a friend have even organized their own version of Holi on their front lawn. However, Bagga says that can be difficult, so she’s happy to let someone else take the reins so she can focus on spending time with her boys.

“What feels really special is how much they’re enjoying it,” says Bagga. “I’m happy that there’s Indian food and other Indian music and other parts of Indian culture, but it’s really nice to see them enjoying it.”

Adel Ahmad was born in Pakistan. He says the celebrations aren’t part of his culture, but that didn’t stop him from joining in on the fun. Ahmad says he grew up hearing about Holi but this year’s celebration was his first time experiencing it.

“It’s like really nice to be here finally, to see it by our own eyes and feel it, and basically be a part of the culture I would say,” says Ahmad.

Although Nishant Keerikatte’s mother is Hindu, he says his family mostly celebrated his father’s Christian traditions when he was growing up. As someone in an interracial and interfaith marriage, Keerikatte says his wife, Holly, encouraged and advocated for their two daughters to be exposed to the holiday. It’s something that Keerikatte says he’s thankful for because it showed his daughters the fun that can be had from their traditions.

“My daughters [are] growing up… and this was an opportunity to show [them] a side of the Hindu culture that’s really, I think, very easy for kids to sort of get caught up into and find accessible,” says Keerikatte.

For Sumaiya Ismail, who is Muslim and from Sri Lanka, it’s exciting to have been part of a diverse crowd that includes people from both south Asia and other backgrounds. She says it’s not just about honoring other customs but also just having fun with it.

“I love that there are so many people from different cultures,” says Ismail. “Everyone is just like over there dancing. It doesn’t matter what culture they’re from, and they’re just like having a good time and embracing everything. So like, I think it’s beautiful.”

According to organizers with the event, it’s estimated that more than 500 people came out to celebrate. Rahul Vinod is the co-founder of the D.C. fast casual chain RASA, another local business that partnered up to organize Holi. He says he’s already looking forward to planning another celebration next year.

“We always wanted to have a Holi party,” says Vinod. “Based on this event, I don’t see why we couldn’t do it again, even bigger.”