Thousands celebrated Holi at Dhaka's Dhakeshwari Temple with vibrant colors, music, and messages of hope and interfaith harmony.
Under clouds of bright pink and yellow powder, thousands gathered at Dhakeshwari National Temple on Tuesday as members of Bangladesh's Hindu community celebrated Holi with vibrant devotion, enjoying colorful dances and music.
The largest Holi celebration in the country was held at the National Temple in Dhakeshwari in Dhaka, where people smeared each other with colors and expressed hope for a brighter future.
"Our colorful Holi represents relationships and friendship. We are forgetting our illnesses and our sorrows. We hope that this spirit of colorfulness will remain in everyone's life in the future," Shipra Rani, a devotee, told ANI.
"We are feeling very happy at this moment. We are colorful and want our lives to be colorful. Everything is filled with color, so we are celebrating this Holi festival," she added.
Hindus make up nearly 10 percent of the population in Muslim-majority nation Bangladesh.
"This is the Holi festival. We celebrate it together by playing with colors. It is very important for our society and our religion. People from all backgrounds take part in this festival, and it brings excitement and positivity to our environment. This atmosphere is very good for our nation and our religious harmony," said Jibon Mitra, another devotee.
"Every year, this festival strengthens relationships among us and with people of other religions. Everyone takes part in this celebration, and the colors are very bright. May our future be as bright as our wishes," he added while speaking to ANI.
Known as the Festival of Colors, Holi is a vibrant Hindu festival which marks the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. People throw colored powders, dance, sing, and share sweets, spreading joy, unity, love, and happiness everywhere.
The festival begins with Holika Dahan, where a bonfire is lit to mark the death of Holika, a symbol of evil and a special Puja to burn evil spirits is performed.
Courtesy: ANINews
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
