(14 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ahmedabad, India – 14 March 2025
1. Various of colored water being thrown at crowds gathered to celebrate Holi in Swaminarayan Temple Complex
2. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Madhu Kirti Soni, devotee:
“The atmosphere becomes amazing because of Holi. Anyone who attends the festival here, forgets everything about life. They become one with the God. I cannot explain how happy we become after meeting the head priest here. We feel energised for the rest of the year by coming here. Everyone should come here to celebrate.”
3. Various of Holi celebrations
4. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Hardik Rajpurohit, priest of temple:
“The festival is celebrated since the times of the Gods. We have started playing Holi with natural colors, colors obtained from orange colored flowers. We soak the flowers in water for over a month, then obtain the colors.”
5. Various of celebrations
STORYLINE:
Millions of people in South Asia celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, on Friday by smearing each other with brightly colored powder, dancing to festive music and feasting on traditional sweets.
Amid massive celebrations in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad, thousands of people gathered at the Swaminarayan Temple were sprayed with colored water from huge pipes as they swayed to traditional Gujarati music, clapping over their heads.
"Anyone who attends the festival here forgets everything about life," said one devotee Madhu Kirti Soni, who came to celebrate the festival in Ahmedabad.
The raucous spring festival sees Hindus take part in a kaleidoscopic celebration of the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil. The festival is a national holiday in India, while in Nepal it is a two-day event that began Thursday.
It’s also observed in other South Asian countries as well as among the Indian diaspora.
Holi has its origins in Hindu mythology and lore and celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha, and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation.
Across the country, people, mostly dressed in all white clothes, celebrated the festival by hurling colored powder at each other.
Children, perched on rooftops and balconies, flung water balloons filled with colored pigments at passers by.
Food and drink are a big part of the festivities. Vendors in parts of India sold thandai, a traditional light green beverage prepared with milk, cardamom and dried fruit, and gujia, a flaky, deep-fried sweet pastry stuffed with milk curds, nuts and dried fruit.
AP Video by Piyush Nagpal
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