THESE amazing images show revellers throwing paint on each other as they gear up to celebrate Holi festival of colours.
The festival celebrates the beginning of Spring and will officially be held throughout India, Nepal and other south Asian countries next week.
These pictures of red paint being joyfully flung into the air are from a village in India where they celebrate the Lathmar Holi festival.
Traditionally held in the days before Holi, this festival is a variant of the larger scale party which takes over India.
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Hindu men from the village of Nandgaon celebrate covered with colored powder the Lathmar Holi festivalCredit: EPA
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In Barsana, people celebrate a variation of holi, called 'Lathmar' Holi, which means 'beating with sticks'Credit: EPA
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During the Lathmar Holi festival, the women of Barsana gatherCredit: EPA
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They beat the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Hindu God Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their efforts to throw color on themCredit: EPA
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Holi is a Hindu festival that celebrates the beginning of Spring at will be celebrated on Monday, March 13, 2017, a week after Lathmar Holi festivalCredit: EPA
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It is mainly observed in both India and Nepal or other countries where there is a significant Hindu populationCredit: EPA
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It is celebrated each year around the time of the vernal equinox, and is typically celebrated in March but sometimes as early as FebruaryCredit: Reuters
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The event commemorates the victory of good, peace and love over evilCredit: Getty Images
Villagers in Barsana, in Mathura, gather at the Radha Rani temple for Lathmar Holi - this means "beating with sticks".
During the festival, the women of Barsana, the birth place of Hindu God Krishna's beloved Radha, beat the men from Nandgaon, the hometown of Hindu God Krishna, with wooden sticks in response to their efforts to throw colour on them.
Holi is a Hindu festival which will be celebrated on Monday, March 13, 2017.
In recent years, the festival has spread and celebrations now take place in parts of Europe and North America.
The event commemorates the victory of good, peace and love over evil.
It is said the demoness Holika was conquered through unwavering devotion to the Hindu god of preservation, Lord Vishnu.
Vishnu’s reincarnation Lord Krishna liked to play pranks on village girls by drenching them in water and colours – which is where the tradition came from.
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In southern Asia, Holi is celebrated on the day after the last full moon in March every yearCredit: EPA
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It starts with a Holika bonfire, singing and dancing – and, the next day, the streets explode with colourCredit: EPA
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Hindus celebrate Holi by smearing coloured powder over one another, dancing under water sprinklers, and using water balloons and water gunsCredit: EPA
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After a day of play with colours, people clean up, wash and bathe, sober up and dress up in the evening and greet friends and relativesCredit: EPA
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Vishnu’s reincarnation Lord Krishna liked to play pranks on village girls by drenching them in water and colours – which is where the tradition came fromCredit: EPA
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The organisers believe that gulal, the coloured powder, intoxicates people so their religion and social status don’t matterCredit: EPA
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This unique kind of Holi that is celebrated in Barsana where women chase men away with sticks and men sing provocative songs in order to invite attention of womenCredit: EPA
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This tradition dates back to the time when Lord Krishna started the tradition of colours by first applying colour on Radha's faceCredit: EPA
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The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring and end of winterCredit: Reuters
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Anyone and everyone is fair game in the celebrations - friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and eldersCredit: Reuters
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The organisers believe that gulal, the coloured powder, intoxicates people so their religion and social status don’t matterCredit: Reuters
Hindus celebrate Holi by smearing coloured powder over one another, dancing under water sprinklers, and using water balloons and water guns.
The organisers believe that gulal, the coloured powder, intoxicates people so their religion and social status don’t matter.
After a day of play with colours, people clean up, wash and bathe, sober up and dress up in the evening and greet friends and relatives by visiting them and exchanging sweets.
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