Google’s Doodle Comes Alive in Honor of Holi, the Festival of Colors

On Monday, Google’s homepage Doodle in much of the world loads first not in the usual combination of colors, but a faint shade of gray.

Momentarily afterward, though, a bunch of animated stick figures run across and throw colored powder and dye at the Google logo, covering it in a vibrant mix of hues — as is the custom in celebrations of the Hindu festival of Holi, which this Doodle is honoring.

Known also as the Festival of Colors, Holi marks the coming of spring and celebrates the vibrancy, fertility and youth associated with the season, alongside love and the victory of good over evil.

“The vibrant celebration looks a lot like the Doodle: people run around happily covering each other in a rainbow of powdery hues,” says Google. “Amid the cloud of red, blue, yellow, green, and everything in between, festival-goers can often be found laughing, singing, and dancing in the streets.”

The two-day celebration — on March 13 and 14 of the Gregorian calendar this year — involves bonfires on the first evening, before the color action on the second day. It also gives families and friends an opportunity to gather and have fun.