An Indian sadhu (Hindu holy man) sits on the banks of Sangam – the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers – on the auspicious bathing day of 'Maghi Purnima' during the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad on February 19, 2019. Millions of Hindu pilgrims took the plunge in holy rivers on the most auspicious bathing days of the Kumbh Mela festival, led by naked, ash-smeared holy men and accompanied by chants from Hindu holy texts. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)

An Indian labourer carries a sack of plastic bottles on his head near one of the largest disposal sites in north-east India, ahead of the “World Environment Day” in Boragaon area of Guwahati on June 4, 2018. World Environment Day is marked annually on June 5, and aims at promoting awareness and action to protect the environment. (Photo by Biju Boro/AFP Photo)

A child blowing confetti from her hands during a Carnival parade in Cyprus' coastal city of Limassol, Sunday, March 13, 2016. Limassol's long-established parade is Cyprus' biggest and most famous, drawing revelers from across the east Mediterranean island. This year's parade drew huge crowds as people sought lighthearted reprieve from the bailed-out country's recession. The parade marks the start of the 40-day fasting period of Lent in the run-up to the Orthodox Christian Easter. (Photo by Petros Karadjias/AP Photo)

Wally Collins holds a bust of author Ernest Hemingway after winning the 2014 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest in this handout photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Florida July 19, 2014. Collins, a Phoenix resident, won the title on his sixth try during the event that was the highlight of Key West's annual Hemingway Days festival. (Photo by Andy Newman/Reuters/Florida Keys News Bureau)

An Indian Royal Bengal tiger looks on at an enclosure on World Tiger Day at Alipore Zoo, Kolkata, India, 29 July 2019. Kolkata zoo authority added a new Tiger to the zoo for the visitors to mark the Tiger Day. Students of Kolkata are also taking part in an awareness campaign aiming to draw attention to the threats that tigers face due to habitat loss and poaching. (Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA/EFE)

Rangoli, also known as kolam or Muggu, is a folk art from India in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals. It is usually made during Diwali, Onam, Pongal and other Indian festivals. They are meant to be sacred welcoming areas for the Hindu deities. The ancient symbols have been passed down through the ages, from each generation to the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. Similar practices are followed in different Indian states: in Tamil Nadu, there is Kolam in Tamil Nadu; Mandana in Rajasthan; Chaookpurna in Chhattisgarh; Alpana in West Bengal; Aripana in Bihar; Chowk pujan in Uttar Pradesh; Muggu in Andhra Pradesh and others.

A Russian service member stands next to an acquaintance during preparations ahead of the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2024. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Lianah Flores with Coca Cola cans in her hair attends the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday parade during hot weather in Huntington Beach, California on July 4, 2024. (Photo by Etienne Laurent/Reuters)