'Holi' parties a new rage in Britain

Holi may be celebrated only once in India, but in Britain it is fast catching on as a new rage in the party and clubbing circuit with thousands flocking Holi-themed festivals in the country.
Mass paint fights, where people hurl bags of brightly coloured powder over each other, are being hosted up and down the country.
Thousands of Britons are expected to flock to more Holi-themed festivals in London and Manchester over the next few weeks of the English summer.
Around 15,000 people are expected at Battersea Power Station in London for the Holi One festival today followed by another event at the same venue next weekend. Another 10,000 are expected to attend an event at Heaton Park, Manchester, later this month.

Britain's Hindu community has also welcomed the new trend. "We are not particularly concerned if people want to have some fun time and enjoy, as Hindu tradition always stands for universal happiness," said Swaminathan Vaidyanathan, the secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Last month, thousands took part in a 5-km fun run here in which they were covered in powdered paint with each passing kilometre.

'The Independent' newspaper reported on a paint-throwing session at the Secret Garden Party festival in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, last weekend.
Holi One says it is not a religious event, but is about "promoting the ideas of togetherness and the colour of everyday life".

Organisers say part of the attraction of covering each other in paint powder is that it removes the normal barriers of appearance - with everyone feeling more relaxed as a result.
"It's so friendly, the event, and so open that it's like a feeling of Woodstock," said Stephan Dau, from Holi One Production UG.
It is also a lucrative business, with an all-day pass including five bags of paint powder costing 38 pounds.