Holi is a spring festival in India, also known as the festival of colours or the festival of sharing love.Holi is a two-day festival which starts on the Purnima (Full Moon day) in the month of Falgun. The first day is known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the second as Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi or Dhulivandan.

Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika bonfire where people gather, do religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil should be destroyed as the bonfire starts.

The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi – a free-for-all carnival of colours, where people play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured water, with some carrying water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance.

People visit family, friends and foes to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. Here are some of my favorite Holi Recipes.

Some drinks are intoxicating. For example, bhang, an intoxicating ingredient made from cannabis leaves, is mixed into drinks and sweets and consumed by many.In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up and visit friends and family.

This year I with some friends attended Rang De Holi Event in Baylands Park and here is the gallery to the pics clicked by me. I had equal fun playing as well as capturing this riot of colors.

Click on the thumbnails below to start the gallery.

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