People are set to celebrate the Hindu festival Holi, which will be celebrated March 24 this year. Most of them began celebrating with colours from from Chhoti Holi or Holika Dahan, a day before the main event.
Holi, which is also known as the festival of colours, marks the victory of good over evil. A day before playing Holi with colours, Holika Dahan is celebrated. According to Hindu mythology, the term Holi has been derived from Holika, who was the evil sister of demon king Hiranyakashyap.
Although Holi is observed all over the north, it is the main festival of those residing in Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon and Barsana. The festival is celebrated for more than two weeks in these places, which celebrate the immortal love of Krishna and Radha, "Krishna Leela."
On the occasion of Holi, people greet each other with sweets and will be seen throwing colours (gulal) on each other and splashing coloured water with water guns (pichkaaris). Also, revellers consume traditional thandai, a special drink made during Holi with buds and leaves of the cannabis plant, popularly known as bhang.
Meanwhile, several celebrities, including Priyanka Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan and Shekhar Kapur, have wished fans "Happy Holi" on social media. Take a look at the tweets below:
Akshay Kumar
Do keep in mind the water scarcity problem in our country...opt for dry Holi! Happy Holi everyone, have a colorful one
Sidharth Malhotra
#HappyHoli everyone ! Bring out the child in you spread the joy n happiness ...Hv a colourful one #Besafe
Alia Bhatt
Happy happy Holi !!!! have a day full of love & laughter and of course COLOUR!! But please please save water this year..We need to!!âï¸
Varun Dhawan
#HappyHoli everyone. Spread happiness,love and colour. Please save water this year it is very important and don't harm any animals
Aamir Khan
Wishing everyone a very happy Holi! May your lives be full of colour, and may joy, happiness and peace always be with you. Love. a.
Priyanka Chopra
Happy holi to everyone celebrating with or without your loved ones..Our roots bind us wherever we go..You're always an extension #RootsRule
Athiya Shetty
Happy Holi! Don't forget our animal friends :) Read and share these tips by @PetaIndia : http://petain.vg/t â¤ï¸
Parineeti Chopra
Happpyy holi!! Go play, be safe!! And dont throw colours at animals please
Sonam Kapoor
Holi is the festival of love.. Please love each other, celebrate each other and know that there is nothing greater than that..होली तो बस à¤à¤• बहाना है रंगों का; ये तà¥à¤¯à¥Œà¤¹à¤¾à¤° तो है आपस में दोसà¥à¤¤à¥€ और पà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤° बढाने का; चलो सारे गिले शिकवे दूर कर के à¤à¤• दà¥à¤¸à¤°à¥‡ को खूब रंग लगते हैं; मिलकर होली मानते हैं.
होली मà¥à¤¬à¤¾à¤°à¤• हो!
Sonal Chauhan
Happppy happppppy holi everyone!!! Have a beautiful n a colourful day
Sonakshi Sinha
And of course, its my favorite festival... Have a happy happy holi everyone! Colourful and safe!
Zareen Khan
Wishing you all a very bright, colourful and joyful Holi!
Dia Mirza
Love love and more love this #Holi to you all! May the colours of love fill our lives with joy and gratitude. Have a wonderful day.
Irrfan Khan
On this day that signifies the victory of good over evil, let us colour the world with peace and love! Happy Holi
Tamannaah Bhatia
Wishing everyone a Happy and Colourful Holi.. There is scarcity of water so please dont waste water!!
Shilpa Shetty Kundra
Happppyyyyy Holi tweetos , may you're life be filled with colours of love and friendship.. Ps: Pls don't waste water
Rishi Kapoor
Play Safe Waterless Cool "Happy wala Holi" !!!!
Madhuri Dixit Nene
Please guys save water, play a dry Holi.
Shraddha Kapoor
Happy Holi guys! May you all paint your lives with colors of happiness, joy, friendship & love!
Karan Wahi
Lets hav a happy holi this year.... n by happiness i mean nt just urs... dont waste water, ur wastage for fun sake might be someones need...
Juhi Chawla
Happy holi everyone ... Happpyyyy holi ..!! Once again missing holi celebrations with the kids and their buddies at home in our garden ..!
Nora Fatehi
Happy holi guys! Have fun but be safe!! #holi
Mandana Karimi
Happy Holi save pani and play safe
Mugdha Godse
Happy Holi... Enjoy the festival of Colors..
Amit Sadh
This #Holi, eat guggia, wear colourful clothes, spread lot of happiness, drink lots of water but let's not waste.! #HappyHoli everyone.!
Shekhar Kapur
#HappyHoli every1 ..loving loving loving the WILL shoot, but missing missing missing home today. Please please please play #waterless #Holi
Kabir Bedi
Wishing all my friends a brilliant #HappyHoli, painted with the colours of life. #Holi #Holi2016