Vibrant Photos Show How Holi Is The World's Most Colourful Festival

This certainly is a happy Holi
Students apply Gulal (dry colored powder) on each other before the Holi festival outside YMCA in New Delhi.
Students apply Gulal (dry colored powder) on each other before the Holi festival outside YMCA in New Delhi.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

Holi is being celebrated by Hindus all over the world as they immerse themselves in the annual festival of colour. The vibrant festivities are celebrated on Phalgun Purnima, which falls at the end of February and culminates in March.

Indian artists dressed up as Hindu Lord Krishna and his consort Radha are showered with flower petals during Holi celebrations at Shri Chaitanya Prem Sansthan
Indian artists dressed up as Hindu Lord Krishna and his consort Radha are showered with flower petals during Holi celebrations at Shri Chaitanya Prem Sansthan
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The festival is fun-filled and high-spirited with participants covering each other with brightly coloured powder with the greeting of "Happy Holi” commonly used during the celebratory period.

An Indian man get his face smeared with colors as he takes part in Holi celebrations in Chennai
An Indian man get his face smeared with colors as he takes part in Holi celebrations in Chennai
ARUN SANKAR via Getty Images
Prince Harry takes part in a holi celebration at Gauda Secondary School on day four of his visit to Nepal.
Prince Harry takes part in a holi celebration at Gauda Secondary School on day four of his visit to Nepal.
Getty Images via Getty Images

The celebration honours the triumph of 'good' over 'bad' with the colourful entertainment bridging the social gap between classes, age and gender.

NOAH SEELAM via Getty Images
An Indian woman has a face smeared with coloured powder during Holi celebrations in Hyderabad on March 24, 2016.The Hindu festival of Holi, or the 'Festival of Colours' heralds the arrival of spring and the end of winter. / AFP / NOAH SEELAM (Photo credit should read NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty Images)
ARUN SANKAR via Getty Images
An Indian man get his face smeared with colours as he takes part in Holi celebrations in Chennai on March 24, 2016.The Hindu festival of Holi, or the 'Festival of Colours' heralds the arrival of spring and the end of winter. / AFP / ARUN SANKAR (Photo credit should read ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
KOLKATA, INDIA - MARCH 22: Students of Calcutta University celebrating Holi festival at University Campus on March 22, 2016 in Kolkata, India. Holi or festival of colours is celebrated on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna at the end of the winter season. (Photo by Subhendu Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
DHAKA, BANGLADESH - MARCH 23 : A dog is seen during Holi celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 23, 2016. Holi is the festival of colors, fun and frolic and is celebrated by millions of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent to welcome the spring. An ancient Hindu festival, Holi is marked as a triumph of good over evil, and has become popular among non-Hindu populations in South Asia.In Bangladesh, many members from the Muslim community also join their Hindu neighbors to celebrate the festival by smearing abeer (a colored powder) and spraying water colors on each other. (Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, INDIA - MARCH 23: Indians take part in the Holi Festival celebrations in Vrindavan, India on March 23, 2016. Holi, the festival of colors, is a riotous celebration of the coming of spring and falls on the day after full moon annually in March. Revelers spray coloured powder and water on each other with great gusto, whilst adults extend the hand of peace. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Ryan Pierse via Getty Images
CHANDIGARH, INDIA - MARCH 24: Australian Cricketer Glenn Maxwell celebrates Holi Festival of Colours with Chandigargh locals ahead of the ICC WT20 match between Australia and Pakistan on March 24, 2016 in Chandigarh, India. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
HANUMANDHOKA, KATHMANDU, NEPAL - 2016/03/22: People play with colors in celebration of Holi festival to mark the beginning of spring season. (Photo by Anchana Shrestha/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
DHAKA, BANGLADESH - MARCH 23 : Bangladeshi girl, whose face is covered with colored with colored powders during Holi celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 23, 2016. Holi is the festival of colors, fun and frolic and is celebrated by millions of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent to welcome the spring. An ancient Hindu festival, Holi is marked as a triumph of good over evil, and has become popular among non-Hindu populations in South Asia.In Bangladesh, many members from the Muslim community also join their Hindu neighbors to celebrate the festival by smearing abeer (a colored powder) and spraying water colors on each other. (Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
DHAKA, BANGLADESH - MARCH 23 : Bangladeshi boy, whose face is covered with colored powders during Holi celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 23, 2016. Holi is the festival of colors, fun and frolic and is celebrated by millions of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent to welcome the spring. An ancient Hindu festival, Holi is marked as a triumph of good over evil, and has become popular among non-Hindu populations in South Asia.In Bangladesh, many members from the Muslim community also join their Hindu neighbors to celebrate the festival by smearing abeer (a colored powder) and spraying water colors on each other. (Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
DIBYANGSHU SARKAR via Getty Images
An Indian student takes part in an event to celebrate the Holi festival in Kolkata on March 23, 2016.Holi, the Hindu spring festival or 'Festival of Colours' is celebrated with coloured powder and water and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. / AFP / Dibyangshu SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, INDIA - MARCH 22: A devotee with face smeared in colors as he chant religious slogans during Holi celebrations at Banke Bihari temple, on March 22, 2016 in Vrindavan, India. Festival of colors and love has special significance in Vrindavan as according to many legends Lord Krishna, was very fond of playing Holi with his friends. (Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
DIBYANGSHU SARKAR via Getty Images
An Indian student takes part in an event to celebrate the Holi festival in Kolkata on March 23, 2016.Holi, the Hindu spring festival or 'Festival of Colours' is celebrated with coloured powder and water and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. / AFP / Dibyangshu SARKAR (Photo credit should read DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
KATHMANDU, March 22, 2016 -- People celebrate the Holi festival at Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 22, 2016. The Holi festival, also known as the festival of colours, is celebrated to mark the beginning of spring season. (Xinhua/Pratap Thapa via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
KOLKATA, INDIA - MARCH 22: Students of Calcutta University celebrating Holi festival at University Campus on March 22, 2016 in Kolkata, India. Holi or festival of colours is celebrated on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna at the end of the winter season. (Photo by Subhendu Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
KATHMANDU, NP, NEPAL - 2016/03/22: A group of youth in a traditional attire with colorful powder celebrates Holi, the festivals of colors. People celebrate Holi all over Nepal as well as in India. (Photo by Narayan Maharjan/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
RANCHI, INDIA - MARCH 19: Students exchanging dry colours with each other before the Holi festival at Women's College campus on March 19, 2016 in Ranchi, India. Holi is a festival of colours, celebrated primarily in India. The festival falls on the last full moon day of Falgun according to Hindu calendar. It is celebrated sometimes in the month of March, usually in the latter half of the month. According to mythology, the festival celebrates the killing Holika, the sister of Hrinyakashyapu. The festival also holds significance with respect to end of winter season and the onset of summer season. (Photo by Parwaz Khan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 22: Students apply Gulal (dry colored powder) on each other before the Holi festival outside YMCA on March 22, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Holi or festival of colours is celebrated on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna at the end of the winter season. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
MATHURA, INDIA - 2016/03/21: Widows of Mathura bathed with colored powders during the Holi Festival, organized by the non-government organization Sulabh International at the Vrindavan Temple. (Photo by Ravi Prakash/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
MATHURA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA - 2016/03/20: Devotees throw flower petals and dance as they celebrate Holi, organized by non-government organization 'Sulabh International' at Gopinath Temple. (Photo by Prabhat Kumar Verma/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, INDIA - MARCH 19: Indians smeared with coloured powder take part in the Holi Festival celebrations in Vrindavan, India on March 19, 2016. Holi, the festival of colours, is a riotous celebration of the coming of spring and falls on the day after full moon annually in March. Revellers spray coloured powder and water on each other with great gusto, whilst adults extend the hand of peace. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
RANCHI, INDIA - MARCH 19: Students exchanging dry colours with each other before the Holi festival at Women's College campus on March 19, 2016 in Ranchi, India. Holi is a festival of colours, celebrated primarily in India. The festival falls on the last full moon day of Falgun according to Hindu calendar. It is celebrated sometimes in the month of March, usually in the latter half of the month. According to mythology, the festival celebrates the killing Holika, the sister of Hrinyakashyapu. The festival also holds significance with respect to end of winter season and the onset of summer season. (Photo by Parwaz Khan/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 22: Students apply Gulal (dry colored powder) on each other before the Holi festival outside YMCA on March 22, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Holi or festival of colours is celebrated on the last full moon of the lunar month of Phalguna at the end of the winter season. (Photo by Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
MATHURA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA - 2016/03/20: A widow covered with colored powder and sits on flower petals as they celebrate Holi organized by non-government organization 'Sulabh International' at Gopinath Temple. (Photo by Prabhat Kumar Verma/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
MATHURA, INDIA - MARCH 18: An Indian man smeared with coloured powder takes part in the Holi Festival celebrations in Mathura, India on March 18, 2016. Holi, the festival of colours, is a riotous celebration of the coming of spring and falls on the day after full moon annually in March. Revellers spray coloured powder and water on each other with great gusto, whilst adults extend the hand of peace. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Pacific Press via Getty Images
MATHURA, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA - 2016/03/17: Devotee of Nandgaon covered with color powder as he takes part in Lathmar holi festival at Radhe Rani. In the lathmar holi , the women of Barsana (hometown of Radha) beat man of Nandgaon (hometown of Lord Krishna) with wooden sticks in response to their teasing. (Photo by Prabhat Kumar verma/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT via Getty Images
Bags of colourful powder ready to be used for the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in Barsana, some 130 kms from New Delhi on March 16, 2016. During the Lathmar Holi festival, the women of Barsana, the legendary hometown of Radha, consort of Hindu God Krishna, attack the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Hindu God Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their efforts to put color on them. / AFP / François Xavier MARIT (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
MATHURA, INDIA - MARCH 18: Indian revellers smeared with coloured powder take part in the Holi Festival celebrations in Mathura, India on March 18, 2016. Holi, the festival of colours, is a riotous celebration of the coming of spring and falls on the day after full moon annually in March. Revellers spray coloured powder and water on each other with great gusto, whilst adults extend the hand of peace. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT via Getty Images
A young Indian reveller covered in coloured powder poses during the Lathmar Holi celebrations in the village of Barsana on March 17, 2016.holi, also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month. / AFP / FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
MATHURA, INDIA - MARCH 18: An Indian reveller smeared with coloured powder takes part in the Holi Festival celebrations in Mathura, India on March 18, 2016. Holi, the festival of colours, is a riotous celebration of the coming of spring and falls on the day after full moon annually in March. Revellers spray coloured powder and water on each other with great gusto, whilst adults extend the hand of peace. (Photo by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indian Hindu widows throw colored powder at each other as part of Holi celebrations organized by a non-governmental organization Sulabh at the Meera Sahbhagini Ashram in Vrindavan, India, Friday, March 14, 2014. The widows, many of whom at times have lived desperate lives in the streets of the temple town, celebrated the festival at the century old ashram. After their husband's deaths the women have been banished by their families, for supposedly bringing bad luck, to the town where devotees believe Lord Krishna was born. (AP Photo /Manish Swarup)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Visitors of the Holi Festival of Colours throw special colored powders in the air in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, July 13, 2013. The festival is fashioned after the Hindu spring festival Holi, which is mainly celebrated in the north and east of India. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hindu men from the village of Nangaon throws colored powder on others as they play holi at the Ladali or Radha temple, before the procession for the Lathmar Holi festival, the legendary hometown of Radha, consort of Hindu God Krishna, in Barsana 115 kilometers ( 71 miles) from New Delhi, India , in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 9, 2014. During Lathmar Holi the women of Barsana beat the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their teasing as they depart the town. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Bangladeshi woman shuts her eyes as colored powder is smeared on her face during celebrations marking Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The festival of colors, by painting each other in bright pigments, distributing sweets and squirting water at one another. The holiday celebrated mainly in India and Nepal marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hindu men from the village of Nangaon are covered in colored powder as they play holi at the Ladali or Radha temple before the procession for the Lathmar Holi festival, the legendary hometown of Radha, consort of Hindu God Krishna, in Barsana 115 kilometers ( 71 miles) from New Delhi, India , in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 9, 2014. During Lathmar Holi the women of Barsana beat the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their teasing as they depart the town. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indian Hindus celebrate the festival of colors or Holi in Ahmadabad, India, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The holiday, celebrated mainly in India and Nepal, marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Color powder to be used during the Hindu festival of Holi is displayed for sale on a local market in central Kolkata, India, Monday, March 21, 2016. The colorful holiday, celebrated mainly in India and Nepal, marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indian Hindus smeared in in colors pray during Holi celebrations at Lord Jagannath temple in Ahmadabad, India, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The holiday, celebrated mainly in India and Nepal, marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indians play with colors during Holi festival celebrations in Jammu, India, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The holiday, celebrated mainly in India and Nepal, marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Bangladeshi woman shuts her eyes as colored powder is smeared on her face during celebrations marking Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The festival of colors, by painting each other in bright pigments, distributing sweets and squirting water at one another. The holiday celebrated mainly in India and Nepal marks the beginning of spring and the triumph of good over evil. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, INDIA - MARCH 22: Foreign tourists enjoy shower of flower petals during Holi celebrations at Shri Chaitanya Prem Sansthan, on March 22, 2016 in Vrindavan, India. Festival of colors and love has special significance in Vrindavan as according to many legends Lord Krishna, was very fond of playing Holi with his friends. (Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
ASIF HASSAN via Getty Images
Pakistani Hindu girls take 'Selfie' pictures as they participate in celebrations for the Holi festival in Karachi on March 23, 2016.The Hindu festival of Holi celebrates the welcoming of spring and is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Festvities include the throwing of colorful paint, powder and water on people. / AFP / ASIF HASSAN (Photo credit should read ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, INDIA - MARCH 22: Devotees smeared in colors as they chant religious slogans during Holi celebrations at Banke Bihari temple, on March 22, 2016 in Vrindavan, India. Festival of colors and love has special significance in Vrindavan as according to many legends Lord Krishna, was very fond of playing Holi with his friends. (Photo by Burhaan Kinu/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
YANGON, March 23, 2016 -- People celebrate the Holi festival in Yangon, Myanmar, March 23, 2016. The Holi festival, also known as the festival of colors, is celebrated to mark the beginning of spring. (Xinhua/U Aung via Getty Images)
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
VRINDAVAN, March 23, 2016-- People painted with colorful powder celebrate the Holi Festival in Vrindavan, northern India, March 23, 2016. Visitors and citizens march to the streets in Vrindavan to celebrate the annual Holi Festival. (Xinhua/Bi Xiaoyang via Getty Images)
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
DHAKA, BANGLADESH - MARCH 23 : Bangladeshi girl, whose face is covered with colored with colored powders during Holi celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 23, 2016. Holi is the festival of colors, fun and frolic and is celebrated by millions of Hindus in the Indian subcontinent to welcome the spring. An ancient Hindu festival, Holi is marked as a triumph of good over evil, and has become popular among non-Hindu populations in South Asia.In Bangladesh, many members from the Muslim community also join their Hindu neighbors to celebrate the festival by smearing abeer (a colored powder) and spraying water colors on each other. (Photo by Zakir Hossain Chowdhury/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
|
Close

What's Hot