Holi includes many activities, such as throwing colored water and powder at each other, making friends, and forgiving those who have upset you. The night before Holi, people gather around a bonfire and perform rituals known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Little Holi. These rituals symbolize the destruction of evil habits.
One story about the origin of Holi is that Krishna, a Hindu deity, fell in love with the milkmaid Radha, but was embarrassed that his skin was dark blue and hers fair. To fix this, he playfully colored her face during a game with her and the other milkmaids. This is thought to be the origin of the colored water and powder throwing.