In March 2016 I spent unforgettable – and very colourful – days around the town of Barsanar in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to immerse myself in the special Holi celebrations that take place there.

Lathmar Holi is celebrated in the towns of Barsana and Nandgaon, some days before the main Holi festival in the rest of India. During the celebrations, women hit men with sticks, a tradition based on the Hindu legend in which Krishna (supposedly born nearby) threw colours at women and the women shooed him away, beating him with sticks. At a stretch, it might be seen as a symbolic ceremonious enactment of women’s rights, since it’s the men who get beaten.

Due to some typically Indian travel confusion, I missed the stick hitting ‘play’ part of the festival, but I more than made up for that by being present at the temples during the extreme colour-throwing proceedings, as well as submersion in the general local ambience. Without actively intending to (honest!) I probably inhaled a fair amount of the suspiciously scented smoke hovering around the proceedings.

Photo tips for anyone attending Holi celebrations in India: Things get a little wild and there’s no point politely or even impolitely asking the locals not to throw any coloured paint or powder in direction – it will probably only goad them into throwing even more colours at you. So wear your grubbiest tattiest clothes, wear a hat, and wrap your camera in a plastic bag, sealed with an elastic band , but with the front of the lend poking out and covered with an affordable protector filter. Try to make your camera settings before sealing the camera, working out a versatile compromise for shutter speed and aperture. It could even be one of those occasions when setting everything to Auto makes perfect sense!

Here’s a gallery of images from my Lathmar Holi adventures.