April is South Asian Heritage Month, and Washington University Ashoka is celebrating with the theme “Representation: South Asian Creators Going Against the Grain” and Washington University’s College Prep Program Graduation will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 22 in Emerson Auditorium.

Diwali, a Hindu holiday celebrated across India and throughout South Asia as the rise of light over darkness and good over evil, is taking on its 25th year as a schoolwide cultural performance put on by Ashoka, a South Asian student association.

The prevailing of good over evil, a sense of community and the recognition of the good things we have in our lives: These are what one of Ashoka’s cultural chairs, junior Saniya Suri, cites as the main themes of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Ashoka, Washington University’s South Asian Cultural Group, will present Wash. U.’s 27th Diwali performance this upcoming weekend at Edison Theatre, featuring a variety of dance and musical acts as well as a skit and fashion show.

Diwali, a holiday also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by a variety of different religions and sects, but is largely considered a South Asian festival. One of Diwali’s biggest themes is the idea of light beating out dark and good prevailing over evil.

Colored cloth, streamers and balloons covered the better part of Tisch Commons on Friday evening as Ashoka held its annual “WUrld Bazaar” event. This year’s Bazaar was even more expansive than usual, with Ashoka collaborating with other cultural groups like the Association of Latin American Students, African Student Association and Hindi Student Association.

With the lights of Edison Theater dimmed, only a few things stood out: the steady laughter of the audience punctuated by moments of rapturous applause, the saturated colors bursting forth and energy pulsing as performers moved nimbly across the stage.

Even before the event had officially started, many Washington University students gathered on the Swamp Friday to celebrate Holi were plenty colorful.

Ashoka is ditching the water balloons in favor of paint to make this year’s Holi event on the South 40 Swamp less of a mud fight and more of a traditional celebration of color.

Bright colors and sitar-infused pop songs overwhelmed the stage in Edison Theatre before crowds of more than 500 people this weekend. Students in Ashoka danced alongside their peers in the twenty-third annual cultural production in celebration of Diwali, a traditional Hindu celebration of good’s triumph over evil.

Students gathered on the South 40 Swamp Friday afternoon to partake in Holi, the annual celebration of colors sponsored by Ashoka each Spring.