New Yorkers celebrated Phagwah, or Holi, March 30 in the Richmond Hill area of Queens, ringing in the Indo-Caribbean Hindu New Year in true traditional spirit.
Hindus celebrate the holy holiday every spring, after the first full moon of their calendar, by quite literally painting all over the streets, families and kids throw colorful powder (called abrac) to chase away the gaunt, chilly winter.
This year's celebration marked the 25th anniversary of the Richmond Hill Phagwah parade. Nearly 25,000 attended and participated in the 2013 Holi parade.
Floats carried beauty pageant winners, business people, religious and political leaders, musicians and dancers clad in Indian saris, down Liberty Avenue.
Pink, yellow and red decorations covered both the floats and the people. There were sprigs of brightness dashed everywhere, and most of the performers donned piles of golden jewelry.
Musical and cultural performances were showcased at Phil Rizutto Park (also known as Smokey Oval Park) after the parade. Then, the fun part came: bright red, purple, green, yellow and orange dyed powder shot into the air as participants pounded one another with fistfuls of abrac. One photographer, whose pictures were published on CNN blog iReport, said it was a joy to watch people revel with such abandon and freedom at the end of the parade. (See photos)
"Adults were acting like kids, it was such fun," she said.
According to About.com's section on Queens, Hindus have celebrated Holi as the triumph of good surpassing evil for many thousands of years. It also marks the beginning of the agricultural season, (as it takes place in spring), and therefore holds dual connotations of rebirth, reawakening, and renewal-along with the promise of new beginnings in the new year. Color is always an integral role in the celebration of this holiday.
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