Indians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: APIndians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: AP
Indians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: AP
Lifestyle

Holi explained: India’s ‘festival of colours’ is all about fun, freedom and forgiveness

  • Entire neighbourhoods and towns come together on Holi to splash and smear each other with coloured powder, paint and water, all in good humour
  • The tradition is believed to have come from a mischievous boyhood prank that the god Krishna played upon Radha, his beloved
Topic |   Explainers
Bhakti Mathur
Bhakti Mathur

Updated: 3:23am, 22 Mar, 2019

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Indians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: APIndians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: AP
Indians covered in colourful powder as they pray at the Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, India, during ‘Lathmar Holi’, a variation of Holi that includes women playfully beating men with sticks. Photo: AP
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