By now most people have heard of The Color Run. The Color Run company is a “for profit” venture though the runs I have been aware of have been connected with charity as well. The Color Run is a “five-kilometer, un-timed race in which thousands of participants are doused from head to toe in different colors at each kilometer.”¹ Then, at the finish line there is a “Finish Festival” where even more colored powder is applied “to create happiness and lasting memories.”² I’ve seen the pictures and it looks like a lot of fun.

What you may not know is that The Color Run looks a lot like what happens at the Hindu Holi Festival where people are covered in the same colors with the same results. Here’s a description of the Hindu festival:

The festival has many purposes. First and foremost, it celebrates the beginning of the new…