KATHMANDU, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese people across the hilly region of the country, including the Kathmandu valley, celebrated the festival of colors Holi on Sunday with merriment.
Holi is one of the major festivals celebrated annually in the Himalayan country.
The one-day festival, locally known as Fagu Purnima, is celebrated by smearing different types of color powder over each other along with water.
Hindus celebrate Holi to remember the day when the victory of good over evil was achieved.
According to religious belief, a mythical legend named Holika jumps into the fire along with her son Prahlad to devote herself to God Bishnu. Though her son Prahlad survives the fire, Holika gets burned into ashes as a punishment for inflicting injustices which is interpreted as victory of justice over injustice.
Since then, people celebrate Holi by exchanging greetings with each other and sharing happiness and love with family members, friends and well wishers.
Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people from all walks of life, especially youths, and even foreign tourists joined the celebrations in major parts of the capital city like new Road, Thamel and Kathmandu Durbar Square.
On the occasion, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal all extended their best wishes to the public.
In a press statement released by the Office of the President, President Bhandari said that it is the responsibility of all to preserve such cultural festivities.
"Such cultural festivals help forge national unity, foster fraternity and mutual harmony," the statement reads.
Similarly, Prime Minister Dahal in his message stressed promotion of such cultural heritages in a country full of diversity.
"Nepal is a country of multi-languages, multi-cultures and multi-religions. May Holi festival enhance and strengthen brotherhood among all communities," the prime minister said.
Holi is also synonym to sweet delicacy, music and dancing and consumption of alcohol. Considering the possible hooliganism, security of the capital city was beefed up Sunday with heavy mobilization of security personnel in major road-sections.
Holi is marked in the southern belt of the country known as Terai region only on Monday.
