Holi: Hindus across India and Nepal celebrate festival of colours

People have been celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the festival of colours.

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The festival, mainly celebrated in India and Nepal, marks the beginning of spring.

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It also symbolises new beginnings.

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Holi festival falls on the last full moon of the lunar month.

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On the day of Holi, people throw liquid and powdered colour over each other. The night before, people light bonfires to signify good triumphing over evil.

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The colours of the powders each have a different meaning. Red is meant to represent love and fertility, yellow is the colour of turmeric, blue is for the Hindu god Krishna and green symbolises new beginnings.

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Water based pigments are now being used in the creation of the coloured powder instead of traditional plant based colours including turmeric.

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Images from the festival show crowds completely covered in colourful paint as they take part in the celebrations.

BBC reporters in Delhi (above) also took part in the festivities.

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Aside from India, Holi is also celebrated in Nepal, which has a large Hindu population. A celebration is held in Kathmandu (below). It has also become popular in other countries around the world including the UK.

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