Holi: Paint the Town Red (and Blue and Green and Purple...)

President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday greeted the nation on the occasion of Holi and Navroz, saying the festivals would
imbibe the spirit of friendship among people of all faiths.

"On the joyous occasion of Holi, the festival of colours, I convey my greetings to the world. The festival of Holi brings joy and happiness, which imbibes the spirit of friendship among people of all faiths,"
Patil said in her message.

In his message, the Prime Minister said the festival of Holi symbolizes different shades of life and inspires all to rejoice in the glory of nature in all its varied colours."May the festival bring gaiety,
happiness, health and prosperity to all," Singh said.

Holi (also called Holaka or Phagwa) is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna (early March). It celebrates spring, commemorates various events in Hindu mythology and is time of disregarding social norms and indulging in general merrymaking.

Holi is probably the least religious of Hindu holidays. During Holi, Hindus attend a public bonfire, spray friends and family with colored powders and water, and generally go a bit wild in the streets.

With Holi round the corner,
get ready to drown yourself in the festival of colours but do take care of your
eyes so that you do not end queueing up in any hospital on that day. The
suggestion comes from doctors at various hospitals in the Capital, who advise
that eyes are most susceptible to chemical colours and prescribe use of natural
colours as an alternative for a mishap-free Holi.

Holi is the Hindu spring festival, when people typically spray each other with coloured water.

It is also when traditionally people take alcohol or drinks laced with bhang - an intoxicant derived from the leaves and buds of the cannabis plant.

Prepared with a mixture of almonds, spices, milk and sugar, bhang is the official drink at most traditional Holi parties.

Sweets laced with bhang are also popular in some parts of north India, specially the holy city of Varanasi.

The intoxicant is known for its generally relaxing properties and some in India talk about its benefits in enhancing intimacy and sexual pleasure.

But activists say bhang impairs the senses and has the same effect on the user as alcohol.