Most often observed in March, Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, has been celebrated for so long that historians aren’t quite sure when it began. For thousands of years, possibly dating back to the fourth century, Hindu people have commemorated the end of winter and advent of spring—in correspondence with the Hindu calendar’s month of Phalguna—by playfully throwing brightly colored water and powder at each other.
Today, millions around the world celebrate Holi, a spiritually and culturally significant tradition that has stood the test of time. See how it is observed today.
Each year, thousands of people around the globe participate in color “fights,” tossing powdered pigment on friends, family and fellow celebrants.
Santanu Bose, India, 2023
An aerial view captures crowds of color-clad celebrants enjoying Holi.
Azim Khan Ronnie, India, 2023
One Holi tradition involves women playfully hitting men on the head with sticks.
Amitava Chandra, India, 2010
Don’t expect muted tones during events commemorating Holi, known as the Festival of Colors—bright reds, pinks, yellows and blues are more likely.
Avra Ghosh, India, 2022
There’s no age limit for celebrating Holi. Both young and old enjoy the colorful festival marking the oncoming of spring.
Kelly Reece, India, 2009
The Holi festival marks the end of winter in India.
Poras Chaudhary, India, 2009
Who says pink is just for girls? Covered in the vibrant color from head to toe, several men take to the streets to mark the occasion.
Susovan Chakraborty, India, 2022
A father hoists his son on his shoulders while dancing to drummers’ music during a Holi event.
Mark Frederick Jereos, India, 2020
People from all castes, creeds and genders are welcome during the festival, making it a true celebration of love and humanity.
Kishore Das, India, 2020
With colorful powder swirling about her like a dust storm, a young girl joyously participates in a Holi celebration.
Frances Freyberg, California, 2023
Rivaling rainbows, these three young pigmented pals are doused in red, yellow and blue powder.
Kuntal Kumar Roy, India, 2022
All smiles, a color-covered woman takes a reprieve from celebrating Holi in Kolkata.
Dibakar Roy, India, 2023
A young boy’s lashes work hard to protect his eye from yellow pigment covering his face during a Holi celebration.
Sritam Kumar Sethy, India, 2023
Don’t worry if you left your pigment at home. This seller has plenty to sell to Holi celebrants.
Mark Frederick Jereos, India, 2020
Get the latest Travel & Culture stories in your inbox.
:focal(1500x1000:1501x1001)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/31/88/3188710d-f00b-4c84-995c-12b34936e194/1-69d4eb16-9573-4f13-9d97-0c3ee4da6f92.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e0/26/e0260f51-33ee-44e8-9236-879268816736/alt_b54258dc-f109-4451-b10f-9698e82c5369.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c4/10/c410987d-6b7a-435b-b01d-f0e7f75231a6/15-bb7d6be2-337f-4d66-a12a-c3f567bb30c6.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/75/2a/752a030a-8894-45ac-916a-9c0f7b98004e/13-3cb0cd5ee03c411ce57ecaf68df8128ebf912746.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/2f/6f/2f6f0c60-15ce-4413-8abd-a6e13300a146/alt2_4ee4faad-9b7d-4310-8d78-87035aa8d006.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/3f/d8/3fd81f92-899f-4813-aa4d-85e7d3013716/14-132a0eeb5c736636a16862866baa238e2b0b8e97.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/a8/6d/a86dbe4d-8c4c-4c6b-84eb-f8c0be9f8466/12-89f93f0728e02b49a4b7a591ecaa0ba218651ab9.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/bb/a4/bba46bcb-cac0-4b60-aad3-7c13cbd3fc70/9-1b893e1d-d6f0-4ec5-a451-a1e57b9876fa.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c3/0f/c30f97c4-6103-44bd-b12e-c303ebf13b82/8-aa64c33d-b6c3-4f89-9949-cdcd5a7b621b.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f1/45/f145e80e-9bfc-413b-bf68-671cf166cd68/10-c853fbb4-3922-4831-a293-8176d22117ae.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/9f/4d/9f4d7645-074e-4758-adf6-811a869a6f62/7-3a9a64b6-1161-4adf-903e-80c160a81e19.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/33/50/33506c31-1954-49ce-8f44-08093e03f782/6-9cae262f-2421-462a-8d87-bc8965bd19be.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/09/55/0955cc21-304a-4e68-a65e-559c892e8380/4-1ff04f3d-b5a4-4578-9fd8-5e9b5be15705.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/26/de/26de3794-7a65-40bf-a3af-d41170e58870/2-e9c5a34e-276d-4e07-9901-71343632af05.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f7/cd/f7cd7a42-b5fe-4c29-a52e-8d013ed18f1c/3-a64e5cdf-576b-4405-90c7-4f6271445eb9.jpeg)