The Statesboro community will have the opportunity to celebrate the Holi Festival of Colors at Georgia Southern University’s fourth annual celebration Thursday evening.

The Holi Festival is an ancient Hindu holiday. According to Time Magazine, Holi marks the celebration of love and the changing seasons, as well as the triumph of good over evil, which correlates symbolically with the passing of winter.

Every year at the GS Holi Festival celebration, participants throw pigmented powders in the air, creating a cloud of many colors. The colors carry their own meanings, according to Time Magazine: red for love and fertility, blue for the Hindu god Krishna, green for new beginnings.

The official date of Holi passed on March 2, the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month, according to Time Magazine. However, the annual celebration at GS will take place on March 22 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs will provide free sunglasses and white t-shirts for the first 100 participants.

Although the colored powder is nontoxic, GS recommends participants avoid getting the colors into their eyes, ears and mouths, as well as wear clothing they won’t mind getting smeared with colored powder.