The annual festival of colors, Holi, was celebrated across India with much gaiety and fervor on Friday, with people splashing dry and wet colors on each other and exchanging festival greetings. Primarily a two-day festival,

In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the two-day Masaan, or crematorium, Holi along the banks of the Ganges river attracts thousands of visitors from across India and beyond. During this unique celebration, devotees and ascetics apply ashes from funeral pyres to each other's faces, honouring both the cycle of death and the Hindu god Shiva.

The Hindu festival of colors ushers in the spring season. Here's when it's celebrated, what it's all about, and where to celebrate in Ohio.