Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring. Known widely as the Festival of Colour, it takes place over two days, and is a celebration of fertility, colour, and love, as well as the triumph of good versus evil.
It is in the suburbs of Mathura that the love life of Krishna and Radha sprouted and grew. Legends say that Krishna was jealous of her fairness and used to complain about his ‘dusky’ face to his mother. It was only to balance the skin tones of each other that he used to throw colors at Radha and paint her face with multiple colors. From his village Nandgaon, Krishna and his friends used to come to Barsana – Radha’s village to color Radha and her friends. The girls used to beat the guys, playfully though, with sticks.
Like every other Radha-Krishna leela, this also became a tradition and has only evolved to be a more colorful and wild lathmar Holi. Also, the festivities in Mathura start a week in advance and continue till the final day of the celebrations.
