Color-drenched revelers welcomed spring by tossing bright powders in the air and at each other at the "Holi Day" festival Friday afternoon.

The wintry weather didn't stop more than 50 students from gathering on the HUB lawn to take part in the traditional Hindu color-throwing holiday, which celebrates the arrival of the new season.

"It's so much fun," Varun Raisinghani (senior-computer engineering) said. "It's all about getting together and having a good time."

Covered in bright pink, yellow, green, purple, yellow and blue, students yelled "Happy Holi!" as they smeared more color on the faces and clothes of other participants. Others sprayed water guns and water jets called 'pichkaris' filled with tinted water.

While there are many myths about the origins of the festival, a sign hung at the celebration told the story of the divine Indian lovers Krishna and Radha.

The legend holds that the dark-skinned Lord Krishna was envious of Radha's fair skin, so he decided to playfully apply colors to her face to see how her complexion would change.

The prank eventually gained popularity and acceptance in India and developed into an annual tradition.

"They do it all the time in India," Rishi Das (senior-information sciences and technology) said. "It's great that we can celebrate it here, too."

Some participants wore sweatshirts under their originally white "Holi Cow! Happy Holi!" T-shirts, while others braved the cold air and water in shorts. Raisinghani said the chilly weather may have resulted in a lower turnout, but it didn't keep him from celebrating the new season.

"It's a huge success anyway because we're all having fun," he said.

The second annual event, sponsored by the Hindu Students Council, is one of the organization's most popular events, member Trisha Agrawal (senior-biology) said.

"I'm having a great time," Das said, taking a break from the festivities. "It brings a lot of students out, not just Indians and Hindus."

A few wandering students who paused to listen to the Indian pop music found that even they weren't safe from the flying colors.

"Don't worry, it will come out," a color-drenched student shouted as he released a fist-full of yellow powder at a passerby. "Happy Holi!"