Millions of Indians on Friday celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi, dancing to festive music, exchanging food and drink, and smearing each other with red, green, blue and pink powder, turning the air into a joyful kaleidoscope of color.

Millions of people in South Asia are celebrating Holi by splashing each other with brightly colored powders, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets.

Holi expands well beyond the Indian continent. Hindus celebrate in Bangladesh and Pakistan, plus other countries with large diaspora populations like Suriname, South Africa, and Malaysia. The United Kingdom and the United States also hold parties, concerts, and events across the country, making it possible for many to join the festivities.

Revellers across India and Nepal smear each other with colors and water to celebrate the Hindu spring festival of colors known as Holi.

Widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, Holi marks the arrival of the spring season in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries as well as the diaspora. It celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha,