The Hindu festival of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, begins on 23 March this year, but celebrations have already begun in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with a festival called Lathmar Holi.
In this vibrant spring festival, women from the village of Barsana use bamboo sticks to beat men from the neighbouring village of Nandgaon. The men, in turn, tease the women and daub them with coloured powders. Legend has it that Lord Krishna, who lived in Nandgaon, visited his beloved Radha's village, Barsana, on this day and playfully teased her and her friends. He was chased away by the village women with sticks.
Revellers coated in bright red powder dance and sing at the temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPA Hindu man with a beard dyed pink smiles at the Radha Rani temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPWomen walk through the town of Barsana carrying bamboo sticksCathal McNaughton/ReutersBags of colourful powder are prepared for the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPRevellers covered in coloured powder during the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in Barsana, some 130km from New DelhiFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPMen taunt a woman carrying a bamboo stickCathal McNaughton/ReutersWomen walk through Barsana with bamboo sticksCathal McNaughton/ReutersColoured powder is thrown during the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPHindu devotees watch the religious festival of Lathmar Holi, where women beat men with sticks, in the town of BarsanaCathal McNaughton/ReutersA man with a painted face watches festivities in Barsana during Lathmar HoliCathal McNaughton/ReutersMen and women covered in coloured powder rest in the town of BarsanaCathal McNaughton/ReutersPeople celebrate Lathmar Holi at a temple in BarsanaCathal McNaughton/ReutersA man covered in purple powder poses at a temple in BarsanaCathal McNaughton/ReutersHindu devotees covered in coloured powder dance in the town of Barsana in the Uttar Pradesh region of IndiaCathal McNaughton/ReutersPeople dance in clouds of coloured powder in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPPeople throw coloured powder into the air at a temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPMen get covered in coloured powder during the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFPMen covered with coloured powder smile during the Lathmar Holi festival at the Radha Rani temple in BarsanaFrançois Xavier Marit/AFP
The tradition of applying coloured powder on each other's face also has its origin in the legend of Radha and Krishna. According to Hindu mythology, the dark-skinned Krishna was so jealous of the fair-skinned Radha that he would sprinkle coloured powder on her in an attempt to change her complexion.
