Indian Hindu devotees celebrate Holi, the spring festival of colors, during a traditional gathering at Nandgaon village in Uttar Pradesh state on March 7, 2017. Holi is observed in India at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month, and will be celebrated on March 13 this year.
Break out the colored powder: Holi, the annual festival of colors celebrated in India and Nepal, took place Monday to mark the start of spring. In India, crowds splashed powder known as gulal, and water on each other to celebrate the holiday.
On March 27, Hindus across India and the Indian diaspora will observe Holi, a festival that in part marks the beginning of spring. In celebration, Hindu devotees spend the day smearing colored powder on each other’s faces and throwing colored water at friends and family, leading to Holi’s status as India’s “Festival of Colors.”
Local Holi celebrations often begin earlier, including Lathmar Holi in the northern Indian town of Barsana. Unique to the Lathmar Holi tradition is a ceremony where women use long sticks to beat men who sing provocative songs to invite their attention.
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above