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Beautiful Photos of Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colors

Photo contest submissions capture the eye-popping colors of the annual celebration

March 24, 2013

Two friends take a break from festivities to pose for the camera in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo by Mohammad Moniruzzaman (Knoxville, TN), March, 2011.

Worshipers toss powder in Mathura, India. Teng Hin Khoo, Smithsonian.com Photo Contest Archives

A crowd celebrates beneath a cloud of color in Mathura, India. Photo by Sucheta Das (Kolkata, India), March, 2012.

Worshipers at Barsana Temple in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, India during the Holi festival Photo by Sandipan Majumdar (Kolkata, India), March, 2011.

Tourists join in the festivities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Teng Hin Khoo, Smithsonian.com Photo Contest Archives

A girl sprays the photographer with colored water in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo by Farhana Haque (Toronto, ON, Canada), March, 2012.

A color-soaked man rests for a moment during the festivities in Mathura, India. Photo by Sucheta Das (Kolkata, India), March, 2012.

A child armed with an air pump filled with colored water gets ready to spray passersby on the streets of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. Shahnewaz Karim, Smithsonian.com Photo Contest Archives

Two friends play in color-soaked mud in Mathura City, India. Photo by Sahil Lodha (London, United Kingdom), March, 2012.

Locals show foreign tourists the customs of Holi in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Shivji Joshi, Smithsonian.com Photo Contest Archives

A young girl takes a break from color spraying during the Holi festival in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Smithsonian.com Photo Contest Archives

A colorful and dynamic festival, the annual celebration of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, is celebrated by Hindus in India and throughout the world. Revelers cover each other in colored powder and water to celebrate the beginning of spring and to commemorate various Hindu legends.