Women smeared with “Gulal” as they celebrate Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours, in Kolkata on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

“Mehndi or menhdi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India, as well as by expatriate communities from the country. The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Vedic ritual books. Haldi (Staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are important Vedic customs as a symbolic representation of the Outer and the Inner Sun. Vedic customs are meant to awaken the “inner light” and so the gold of the inner Sun has an important symbolic function”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Application of henna or “Mehndi” to a girls hand in a market on October 18, 2010 in Jaipur, India. (Photo by Simon de Trey-White/Getty Images)

The Lantern Festival in Seoul, South Korea, celebrates Buddha’s birthday. Buddha was born approximately 2,557 years ago; the exact date is unknown, but Buddha’s official birthday is celebrated on the full moon in May in South Korea, which is May 17 this year. Photo: Buddhists march on the street as they prepare for the buddha's birthday in Seoul. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun)

Natan Dvir, an Israeli photographer, focuses on the human aspects of political, social and cultural issues. For his “Coming Soon” series, Dvir says that in recent years, a kaleidoscopic net of huge billboards has enveloped the commercial hubs of New York. Seen here, a man looks at a Juicy Couture billboard while passing it on 52nd street close to 5th Avenue in New York, June 5, 2012. (Photo by Natan Dvir/Polaris)

“Mountain Goats, Colorado”. A herd of mountain goats huddle together on top of Mount Evans, Colorado during a lightning storm. This photo was selected out of more than 5,000 entries to go on display in “Wilderness Forever: 50 Years of Protecting America’s Wild Places”, a new photo exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, which will run through summer 2015. (Photo by Verdon Tomajko/Smithsonian Wilderness Forever Photo Contest)

A Tibetan girl reacts as she gets ready to perform in a function organised to mark “Losar” or the Tibetan New Year in Kathmandu, Nepal, February 11, 2016. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Undated handout issued by Take A View of Sunrise at Winnats Pass, Derbyshire, England which won the Visit Britian “You're invited” Award for the best image from an overseas entrant category in this year's Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards. (Photo by Sven Mueller/PA Wire)

Hindu girls dressed as Radha and Lord Krishna during the Janmashtami festival, pose for a picture as the Hindu community celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna in Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 6, 2023. (Photo by Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)