Utah is iconic in its religiosity. People all over the country know that the Beehive State is among the most spiritual of the country. It houses one of the largest spiritual festivals in the Western hemisphere, bringing tens of thousands of people to celebrate each year.

This is not General Conference. This festival is the celebration of Holi, the Hindu tradition to usher in spring.

Over 70,000 people gathered at the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork last weekend, ringing in the new season with music, love and brightly colored powder lobbed back and forth. No one leaves the Festival of Colors without looking like someone ripped out of a Dr. Seuss book.

This celebration is met with open arms by the local Hindu priests. Caru Das, one of the temples priests, believes the nondenominational appeal drives the festival.

Its an opportunity for young kids to come and celebrate their spirituality, without alcohol or drugs . . . to glorify or spread the name and fame of Gods love.

This holistic approach to community bonding is unique to Utah, having been altered from the original ceremonies in India. Chalk warfare was a new addition, according to Das.

This is an oddity in an otherwise reserved, if not homogenous state. One of the unsettling suspicions of many observers is that these powder-plastered celebrators dont know what theyre celebrating.

This is a double-edged sword. Religious celebration is undoubtedly cultural in its roots, and can be celebrated as such, but its troubling to think that the celebration would be cut off from its origins. Is there a way to be inclusive and simultaneously respectful to the religion involved?

The Signpost doesnt have an answer to that question, but its still a question worth asking.

On one hand, religious diversity offers cultural appreciation and unity that few other events can replicate. Midnight masses, Rosh Hashanah and Halloween (originally a Celtic sacred holiday) offer community involvement rivaled by few other holidays.

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Viewpoint: The point behind the chalk throw