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Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna. A long-standing tradition, Holi marks the end of winter and celebrates the victory of good over evil. Festival-goers light bonfires, throw colored powder called gulaza at each other, eat sweets, and perform traditional dances.
“This is a time for everyone to relax. This festival is very joyful, and the colors here remind us that deep down we are all very much alike,” said Suhag Shukla, director of the Hindu Foundation of America in Washington, D.C.
The Red Rain
Red powder is thrown in handfuls at the Baldev Temple in Dauji, 177km south of Delhi. Red is a very auspicious color in India. “It’s the traditional color of a bride’s dress, but in Holi, no color is more important than another. All colors are celebrated here,” Shukla shared.
Ignore class distinctions.
A woman dances in the streets of Vrindavan. In mainstream Hindu communities, some widows are forced to move to sacred cities and are ostracized by their families. However, during the Holi festival, caste distinctions are less rigid and everyone can participate. In the city of Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, more than 1,000 widows from the area attended the festival.
Traditional music and dances
A woman covered in colored powder is performing a traditional dance. Many songs have been written specifically for this festival, ranging from cheerful melodies to love songs about the love between the two Hindu deities, Krishna and Radha.
Krishna and Radha
Villagers in Nandgaon throw red powder at each other at the Radha temple. Nandgaon is the birthplace of Radha, the close friend of Krishna in Hindu mythology. According to the traditions of the Holi festival, the throwing of colored powder is inspired by Radha and Krishna.
When Krishna was a child with dark skin, he asked his mother why Radha's skin was so fair. Krishna's mother then told her son to throw paint on Radha so that her skin would become like hers.
Dance of Colors
A young man at a festival at the Nandagram temple. There is a tradition here where men from the nearby village of Barsana are splashed with colored water by men from Nandgaon and beaten with sticks by women from Nandgaon.
The Holi festival has become more popular.
A woman shakes her hair, which is covered in yellow powder, at a festival in Mumbai. Traditionally, the Holi festival is more popular in northern India than in the south, but today it is celebrated throughout the country. It has also spread to parts of Europe and North America.
Immersed in pink
A man in Allahabad lies on the ground covered in pink powder. This color represents spring and blooming flowers.
