Holi, the Hindu “Festival of Colours”, is currently being celebrated to mark the arrival of spring.

Beginning this year on Monday 9 March and ending Tuesday 10 March, the annual event commemorates the triumph of good over evil, while also celebrating fertility, colour and love.

While it is observed around the world, the biggest festivities predominantly take place in India and Nepal.

Celebrations are an exuberant and jubilant affair, consisting of large groups of people coming together and covering themselves in a wide array of colourful fine powders.

Click through the gallery below to see the best pictures of Holi festival celebrations this year:

In Hinduism, the colours of the rainbow are all symbolic, Sanskriti magazine explains.

Red, which signifies both “sensuality and purity”, is frequently featured at functions such as weddings or festivals, the magazine outlines.

Saffron, described as being “the most sacred colour”, is believed to represent fire, while also representing “religious abstinence”.

Green is thought to symbolise “peace and happiness”, while yellow is denoted as being the colour of “knowledge and learning”.

To read more about Holi, its origins and how it is celebrated, click here.