India and Nepal are once again celebrating Holi, the annual Hindu festival of colors.
The festival marks the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil, with revelers celebrating by throwing colored power, water, and flower petals.
But one marginalized group of Indian society is typically kept away from the festivities: widows.
In some parts of India, widows must traditionally spend their lives in mourning, and they are often considered bad luck and shunned from major celebrations. Some are even abandoned on the streets by family.
But during this year's festivities one charity sought to change all that...
The Meera Sahabhagini Widows Ashram in Vrindavan in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh held Holi celebrations for the abandoned widows it houses.
