Holi 2018: Why People Celebrate Festival of Colours – See Most Beautiful Photos

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Holi is the most colorful and bright fest that marks the beginning of spring and gather thousands of Hindus and tourists each year for the festival.

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Festival of colors

Guess the first (and only) thing most people know about the Holi are crowds throwing at each other coloured powders. But the fest is far more meaningful and has its beautiful traditions.

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Holi is a Hindu fest which marks the arrival of spring and the end of the winter. It is also a celebration of fertility, colour, and love, as well as the triumph of good versus evil.

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The timing of Holi is synchronized with the moon, which means that the dates of each celebration vary yearly. This year Rangwali Holi will take place on 1 and 2 March.

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For those two days people all around the world and especially in most in parts of India and Nepal take part in Holi.

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How Holi is celebrated?

Holi is often associated with the coloured powders that end up coating its participants after they’ve thrown them at each other. But this is just one part of Holi, which is split into two events: Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi.

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Holika Dahan takes place the night before Rangwali Holi. Wood and dung-cakes are burned in a symbolic pyre to signify good defeating evil (in Hindu Vedi scriptures, the God Vishnu helps burn the devil Holika to death).

Source: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

The next morning, people gather in public spaces and take part in Rangwali Holi. This is a raucous affair where people chase each other around, throwing handfuls of coloured powders (known as gulal) at one another, while getting drenched in water.