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Gallery|Religion

Photos: India celebrates Holi, the festival of colours

One of the most popular Hindu festivals, the day also marks the beginning of spring.

India Holi Festival
People celebrate Holi, the festival of colours, on a street in Guwahati, India. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
Published On 8 Mar 20238 Mar 2023
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Millions of Indians are celebrating the Holi festival, dancing to the beat of drums, smearing each other with green, yellow and red colours and exchanging sweets in homes, parks and streets.

Free from wearing masks and other COVID-19 restrictions after two years, they drenched each other with coloured water on Wednesday.

“Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bollywood and other celebrities organised bashes for friends and posted photos on social media.

“People who work hard, play hard,” said Ravi Sharma, a pharmacy owner.

One of the most popular Hindu festivals, Holi, which also marks the beginning of spring, celebrates the divine love of Hindu god Krishna with his consort Radha.

On Tuesday night, people made bonfires with logs of wood in open spaces to commemorate the triumph of good over evil – Hindu god Vishnu killing a demon, Hiranyakashipu.

Holi traditions vary across India. In two northern towns, hundreds of women celebrated last week by playfully hitting men with wooden sticks in response to their teasing as part of a ritual.

Drinking is part of the celebrations. New Delhi reported record liquor sales on Monday, a whopping 2.6 million bottles sold on a single day, compared with an average of 1.1 million bottles, according to The Times of India newspaper.

India Holi Festival
Devotees cheer as coloured powder and water are sprayed on them during celebrations marking Holi at the Kalupur Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad. [Ajit Solanki/AP Photo]
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India Holi Festival
Hindu devotees with offerings make way to reach a car carrying the deity Shri Krishna during the Holi festival in Kolkata. [Bikas Das/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
People put coloured powder on their friend to celebrate the Holi festival, in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
Millions of Indians on Wednesday celebrated the Hindu festival. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
Children play with coloured water as they celebrate Holi in Hyderabad. [Mahesh Kumar A/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
Free from masks and other COVID-19 restrictions after two years, people drenched each other with coloured water. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
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India Holi Festival
This year, the festival is being celebrated on March 8, though the festivities tend to run longer in some places. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
Holi traditions vary across India. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]
India Holi Festival
Holi is an occasion to celebrate the triumph of good over evil and the end of winter. [Anupam Nath/AP Photo]


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