Every year people in Nepal, India and even the UK celebrate holi (होली). Holi (होली) is the festival of colors. It’s a joyous festival where people throw colored powder at each other.

There are several stories as to how holi (होली) came to be celebrated by Indians. One story tells of how Holika (होलिका) a female demon, was burnt to death by the god Brahma (ब्रह्मा). The fight between Holika (होलिका) and Brahma (ब्रह्मा) is symbolic of the fight between good and evil. As a result, Indians celebrate Holi (होली) to honor the defeat of evil forces.

A more comical story is how Lord Krishna (कृष्ण) complained to his mother about his dark skin. To make her son feel better, his mother painted his face with colored powder, and thus this became the inspiration for holi (होली).

I gotta warn you though that in some villages, the colored powder is synthetic and can contain some toxic elements. If you see a rash on your skin or if you feel faint or dizzy in any way, go see a doctor. In some villages the powder is made from natural herbs that are actually healthy for you.

I actually found a funny BBC video on Youtube where a journalist gets pummeled with powder. It’s hard to take him seriously when he has a mass of pink powder on his face, but it’ll give you an idea of what the holi (होली) festival is like.