Holi : Festival of colours

Holi festival of colours celebrated with fervour

Holi, the Hindu festival of colours celebrated in South Asia, marks the beginning of spring.

Holi holds a mythological importance - that of the triumph of good over evil. It is also associated with the eternal love of Lord Krishna and his consort Radha.

The festival of Holi brings together people from all classes and age groups, who play with colours, dance and sing, and distribute sweets.

The holiday is celebrated mainly in India and Nepal [Bikas Das/AP]

A Bangladeshi woman shuts her eyes as coloured powder is smeared on her face during celebrations [A.M. Ahad/AP]

Hindu devotees celebrate in the Nandgaon temple in the Uttar Pradesh region of India. [Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters]

Tens of millions of Hindus and their friends across the world are revelling in the religious festival that marks the advent of spring. [Ajit Solanki/AP]

The festival of colours is celebrated by painting each other in bright pigments, distributing sweets and squirting water at one another. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP]

Pakistani Hindu girls celebrate the festival in Karachi. [Fareed Khan/AP Photo]

Lathmar Holi, where women beat the men with sticks, in the town of Barsana in the Uttar Pradesh region of India. [Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters]

Holi marks the beginning of spring. [Cathal McNaughton/Reuters]

Nepalis celebrate Holi in Kathmandu. [Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters]

Hindu devotees watch the religious festival of Lathmar Holi, where women beat the men with sticks. [Cathal McNaughton/Reuters]

A student celebrates Holi at a university campus in Chandigarh, India. [Ajay Verma/Reuters]

Pakistani Hindu men and women celebrate Holi, in Karachi, Pakistan. [Fareed Khan/AP]

Hindu devotees daubed in colours sing religious songs in Ahmedabad, India. [Amit Dave/Reuters]

Roadside vendors sell coloured powder in Kolkata, India. [Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]