Photos 👇 Women in hundreds in two North Indian towns have celebrated Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colours, by hitting men with sticks made of wood playfully, in response to their “teasing” as part of a ritual.
 |
| Holi Festival 2023: Widely celebrated in India. In the photo, women playfully strike men with wooden sticks in response to their “teasing” as part of a ritual as coloured powder is smeared by devotees |
The Holi celebrations that began last week, after two years of subdued revelry due to COVID-19, recreated Krishna, the legend of the Hindu god, spraying Radha, his consort and her friends with red, yellow, green and saffron colours.
The women were from Nandgaon, Krishna’s legendary hometown and the men were from Radha’s hometown of Barsana.
The men wore turbans and gripped shields above their heads to guard themselves from the blows of the women in the mock battle.
Coloured powder were smeared in by devotees. They exchanged sweets and drinks as part of the celebrations.
Women caught some men and forced them to dress like them, and they sang and danced along with the women.
The “Lathmar Holi” (Stick Holi) festival pulls visitors in enormous numbers from around the world.
Holi, marks the advent of spring and the tradition differs across India. It is widely celebrated across India, Nepal as well as other countries with large Indian subcontinent diaspora populations.
More photos ⬇️
Photos: AP via AlJazeera
