Today at 16:00
The Ukrainian capital hosted the Holi festival for the sixth time this year.
The Holi holiday started with children and adults throwing paint powder at one another. The point was to get everyone around you covered with color.
Both locals and tourists could be seen getting in on the fun.
The idea of the Holi holiday in Kyiv was borrowed from India. In India the Holi is an ancient tradition. It symbolizes the start of Spring and is meant to save people from evil spirits and illnesses. In Ukraine, the tradition’s undergone some changes.
“We are celebrating the beginning of Summer. It would be kind of problematic to organize such a holiday at the beginning of May. So, yes, we celebrate the beginning of Summer. Today is the ninth of June – the International Day of Friends. At first we wanted to arrange the holiday on the International Day of Protecting Children. We even came up with quite a number of interesting activities for the kids,” Organizer Leonard Hryhoryev said.
During the festival, guests were welcomed to visit workshops and learn how to play drums. Women were invited to paint themselves in traditional Indian Mehndi, a form of henna body art. The guests could also buy traditional Indian food, hand-made clothes, and, naturally, powder paints.
Now running strong in its sixth year, the Holi festival has become a regular tradition for Ukrainians.
