Water + Paint balloons

Water + Paint balloons, originally uploaded by rpb1001.

Holi is a Hindu festival and you can read about its history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi It is a happy day and this year especially due to the cessation of violence and the hope people have for peace and stability through the current political dialogue taking place. It is a festival of colour. People will greet you smiling on the street and say Happy Holi, and smear paint on your cheeks. That is the simple version. Somewhere along the line, water fights came into the picture. Walking down the street then becomes a perilous affair with bags being dropped or buckets being poured from roof tops. To the Picture - 15 Rupees (18 euro cents) gets you a packet of 30 small plastic bags with a dusting of paint in each and elastic bands to close them once filled. I just read this today - after the fact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi#Toxic_impacts_of_chemical_colours