The festival is being celebrated today by smearing "Abeer" or red vermilion powder and throwing colour and water-filled plastic pouches at each other. People have gathered with their friends and family since early morning today and commenced the celebration by applying colours on each other and making merry amongst themselves.

Holi, an important festival for Nepali people, begins on the eighth day of the new moon and ends with the burning of the "Chir', which was installed earlier, on the full moon day.

The festival is celebrated today in the hilly areas including the Capital and will be celebrated in the Terai region tomorrow.

The festival revolves around mythology of the demon king Hiranya Kashyapu ordering his sister Holika to sit on a fire with Pralhad, son of the demon king and a devout follower of Lord Bishnu, in her lap so that Pralhad would stop chanting the name of the Lord. The catch was that Holika wouldn't burn in the fire because of a boon she had received from god. But it so happened that Holika was burned in fire while Pralhad remained unharmed and came out of the fire chanting the name of god. Legend has it that Holika burnt in the fire because she was warned by Lord Bishu that the boon she had received would be meaningless if it was misused.

From then onwards, the festival has been celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.

Elders believe that any premonitions can be avoided if "Tika" made from the ashes of the 'Chir' is put on one's forehead or kept in the house.