Happy Holi!

The festival of Holi has always been a boisterous one, in which Indians wait the entire year for the one day when they can splash colors all over each other.

It is a phenomenon that resonates equally across urban and rural societies but has many variations. While Holi, especially in north Indian cities like Delhi, is often characterized by groups of young men exuberantly tossing powder and water balloons, it is a holiday for everyone.

This year, for the first time, the Uttar Pradesh town of Vrindavan will break the conventional shackles of Hindu tradition and allow widows and women whose partners have left them to play Holi. The area is believed to be the childhood home of Lord Krishna and attracts widows from around the country, who come here to pray for better karma in their next life.

Traditionally, these women were expected to stay indoors on Holi, saying prayers, because they are considered an unlucky presence.

Vrindavan’s four-day Holi festivities started on Sunday. Over 700 women participated in a celebration where they applied color on each other’s faces and threw flowers into the air at the Meera Sahavagini Ashram.

The celebrations include various cultural programs, including the “Ras-leela,” a re-enactment of the romantic dance between Lord Krishna and his lover, Radha. The events were organized by Sulabh International, a nongovernmental organization that works for the empowerment of these widows, provides them a monthly pension of 2,000 Indian rupees ($37) and medical facilities.

“These widows are like life imprisonment prisoners for no offense of their own,” said Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, in a telephone interview. “Through the celebration, we hope to restore their dignity and basic human rights that they are entitled to.”

Vrindavan has 1,790 widows and “abandoned women,” according to official figures, but Mr. Pathak said the number is much higher than that.

Meanwhile, in the nearby villages of Nandgaon and Barsana in Uttar Pradesh, Lathmar Holi has taken root. The festival is much more than just celebrating with colors. Men from one village travel to the neighboring village and explicitly verbally harass the women there. Then the women beat them with sticks. Although men are provided with shields and other protective gear, they are not allowed to retaliate.

According to Hindu mythology, Barsana was the home of Radha, Lord Krishna’s lover. Krishna, naughty and mischievous, is believed to have come to Barsana to tease Radha and her friends. Infuriated by his banter, Radha and her friends used to chase him away using sticks.