Holi
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Wishing you a colourful and happy Holi!

Falling on March 13 (Monday) this year, the Monday blues have turned into pinks with people celebrating the festival of colour.

With a long weekend holiday in North India, the celebrations for many began on Sunday. Marking the beginning of the festival with Holika or Chhoti Holi, streets across the country were coloured in different shades. 

Also Read: Beauty and the Beast actress Emma Watson wishes Indian fans happy Holi [VIDEO]

Holi, which is celebrated by applying colour on each other, eating delicious food and enjoying the day with your loved ones, marks the victory of good over evil.

A day before Holi, people celebrate Holika Dahan. According to Hindu mythology, Holi derives from the word Holika, the evil sister of a demon king called Hiranyakashyap.

The festival is predominantly celebrated by north Indians. Holi celebrations in different parts of India are famous. The most popular ones are the Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon and Barsana. The Lathmar Holi is also a popular tradition in India.

Many people opt to organize house parties where they make traditional Holi food including thandai, a special drink made on the day of Holi. With Holi colours (gulal) and water guns (pichkaaris) held in hands, people attempt to make the celebrations better and more memorable than the previous year.

Joining in on the celebrations, many celebrities including Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya) stars Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt, their mentor Karan Johar, Jolly LLB actor Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Baywatch actress Priyanka Chopra and many others sent out Holi wishes and messages on social media platforms:

Alia Bhatt:

Varun Dhawan:

Akshay Kumar:

Mahira Khan:

Amitabh Bachchan:

Priyanka Chopra:

Do me a favour let's play Holi! Here is wishing everyone a safe beautiful wonder filled Holi..

A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on

Karan Johar:

Anushka Sharma:

Neetu Singh:

Happy n SAFE Holi !!! ?????❤️(RK studio Holi pic ) Rans only interested in the laddoo ?

A post shared by neetu Kapoor. Fightingfyt (@neetu54) on

Ajay Devgn:

Sonam Kapoor:

"Red is the colour associated with the Goddess. Lakshmi wears red. Durga wears red. Red is blood. Red is menstrual fluid. It is the colour of the earth before the rains. It is the colour of life and fertility. Kumkum is the red colour made using saffron or turmeric. Sindoor is the red of the setting sun obtained on earth from cinnabar (lead oxide). These are worn by men as tilak and by women as bindi. These are the colours to smear images of Ganesha and Hanuman. Then there is Abir and Gulal, hurled into the sky, during the festival of Holi.. (they) all point to Holi being an ancient fertility festival....Only now a dirty industrial pink has overshadowed the blood red, and oil paints have replaced organic dyes, and balloons and piston 'pichkari' have replaced fistfuls of dry colour powder. Devdutt's interpretation of Holi is a refreshing take on the most colorful festival in Hindu mythology!! #HappyHoli

A post shared by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on

Irrfan Khan:

Rishi Kapoor:

Madhuri Dixit-Nene:

Shraddha Kapoor:

Dhanush:

Farhan Akhtar:

Aanand L Rai:

Gauahar Khan:

Nawazuddin Siddiqui:

Juhi Chawla:

R Madhavan:

Riteish Deshmukh:

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