Holi, known in Nepal as Fagu Purnima, welcomes spring with a burst of colour. Friends and strangers smear each other with coloured powder and soak each other with water balloons and water guns.
Celebrations begin when a decorated pole called a chir is raised in Kathmandu's Basantapur Square about a week before the full moon. The hills and Kathmandu celebrate on the full-moon day, while the Terai plains celebrate the following day.
Wear clothes you don't mind ruining, protect your camera and phone, and join in — it's impossible to stay clean, and nobody tries.
