Krishna, Christians, and Colors: The Socially Binding Influence of Kirtan Singing at a Utah Hare Krishna Festival

Abstract. The Utah Festival of Colors, an incarnation of the Indian festival Holi, is among the largest Hindu celebrations in the United States, yet most who participate are not Hindu. Festivalgoers playfully throw colors at each other while singing kirtan, or sacred chants performed at this event in reggae, rock, and dubstep as well as traditional Indian musical styles. This article explores the musical and rhetorical techniques performers use to address the practices of their religion to adherents of different faiths, invite participation in their devotional chants, and in doing so use celebratory musicking as a tool for mediating social differences.