Masan Holi, a unique variation of the Holi festival, is celebrated in Varanasi, India, where devotees play with ashes from cremation fires, symbolizing the acceptance of the cycle of life and death, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

This Banarasi tradition is believed to be as old as the Ganga itself. For an outsider, it may be unusual to see people throwing pyre ash at each other and smearing it on faces and bodies at the cremation ghat, but for locals, nothing is surprising in the tradition. Traditionally, the festivity begins at noon and continues till evening.

After performing religious rituals, they present dance and music at the makeshift stage amid the burning pyres in respect of the lord of the cremation ground.'