holi
Hindu priests throws coloured powder on devotees during Holi celebrations at Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Reuters

Holi is the Hindu festival of colours and is celebrated at the end of the winter season.

It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, and other regions of the world with significant populations of Hindus or people of Indian origin.

View photos of Holi 2014 celebrations in Nepal by clicking here.

The festival has, in recent times, spread in parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic and colours.

In 2014, Holi will be celebrated on 17 March.

Click here to view images of Holi 2014 celebrations in different parts of the world.

The Telegraph has put together a list of places holding events around Holi 2014 celebration, in UK:

London

The Cinnamon Club, one of the most exclusive Indian restaurants in London, is offering a special Holi menu to celebrate the festival. The six-course menu features a roast rack of Herdwick mutton with Nepalese coriander sauce and pilau rice.

Time and date: Available until 22 March; Mon - Sat: lunch 12pm-2.45pm & dinner 6pm-10.45pm

Price: £50pp

Contact: 020 3355 0128; cinnamonclub.com

Location: The Old Westminster Library, 30-32 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU

Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant has a "House of Holi" – a pod in which groups of friends can reserve 30-minute sessions of colourful power throwing.

Time and date: Until 22 March– Mon-Fri 12pm-12.30pm, 1pm-1.30pm, 2pm-2.30pm, 4pm-4.30pm, 5pm–5.30pm, 6pm-6.30pm & 7pm-7.30pm; Sat 12pm-12.30pm, then every hour until 6pm-6.30pm

Price: £8 per person (£15 including a Holi cocktail and canapés)

Contact: 020 7626 5000; cinnamon-kitchen.com

Location: 9 Devonshire Square, Londonm EC2M 4YL

Oxford

The Tree Hotel in Oxford will have the ubiquitous coloured flour, Dhol music, and traditional Indian street food.

Contact: 01865 775974; iffley.treehotel.co.uk

Location: 63 Church Way, Iffley Village, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 4EY

Manchester

The Manchester Indian Association has a Holi event next weekend. There will be "playing with colours" (powder available at a nominal price) for the first hour, followed by food and activities until the event closes.

Time and date: Sunday March 23, 1pm-4pm.

Price: free

Contact: indianassociation.org.uk

Location: Platt Fields Park, Manchester, M14 6LA

Leicester

There will be a bonfire and other festivities at a Holi event at Spinney Hill Park, east of the city centre – the organisers expect about 3,000 people to attend.

Contact: leicester.gov.uk

Location: Spinney Hill Park, Mere Road, Leicester LE5 5AY ‎

Holi: The Origin and Popular Folklore

Holi is an ancient festival, which is referred to in the 7th century Sanskrit drama, Ratnavali.

The celebration of Holi is recounted in Hindu sacred texts and stories that have passed from generation to generation. The main Holi legend is as follows (via BBC):

Holika was a female demon, and the sister of Hiranyakashyap, a demon king who considered himself ruler of the universe, and higher than all the gods.

The king despised his son, Prahalad, who was a faithful devotee of the god Vishnu.

One day the king asked him: "Who is the greatest, God or I?"

"God is," said the son, "you are only a king."

Prahalad's response infuriated the king who decided to murder his son.

But the king's attempts at murder didn't work too well. Prahalad survived being thrown over a cliff, being trampled by elephants, bitten by snakes, and attacked by soldiers.

So the king asked his sister, Holika, to kill the boy.

Holika had been given a magic boon by the gods that made her immune to fire, so she seized Prahalad and sat in the middle of the fire with the boy on her lap.

However, because Holika was using her gift for an evil deed, her power did not work and she was burned to ashes. Prahalad, on the other hand, stayed true to his God, Vishnu, and sat praying in the lap of his demon aunt. The God protected him and he survived.

To celebrate the story, large bonfires are burned during Holi and in many parts of India, a dummy of Holika is burned on the fire.

India