Indian culture, blissful smiles and lively colors at the Holi Festival 2017

SM By the Bay was brimming with lively colors during the Holi Festival celebration on Sunday afternoon.

Families and festival-goers from here and abroad gathered to celebrate India's biggest color festival.

Holi has been commemorated in India since the ancient times to mark the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil.

The vivid colored powders, or "gulal," are thrown up in the air and at festival-goers, and the celebration's purpose is to strengthen the friendship among Indian and non-Indian communities. As one of the festival's officials said during the event, "This is not an Indian celebration, it's a global celebration."

Before the program started, the attendees were busy visiting booths that showcased Indian culture.

Some lined up to get henna tattoos, which is also known as Mehndi, a form of Indian body art.

Others got creative doing their own Rangoli, a folk art that uses use colored sand, flour or flower petals to create beautiful patterns. And, of course, many more converged on the food stalls to enjoy flavorful Indian food, from shawarma wraps to chicken tikka masala, aloo tikki chollay (stuffed potato patties) and Chicken 65 (a popular south Indian dish).

As hosts Sam YG and Joyce Pring kick-started the celebration by having everyone scream, "Holi Hey," the crowd was splashed with yellow, pink, green and blue powders all together in between three countdowns. The last burst was done during sunset.

It's brimming with lively colors at the Holi Festival 2017 during the first countdown @gmanews pic.twitter.com/u5Xa1gvU4f

— Jannie (@jannieannb) March 12, 2017

The participants had smiles on their faces as they danced to Bollywood music provided by Indian DJs with performances from professional Indian dance groups.

They were all connected through music, dance, art and culture.

Holi Festival 2017 was organized by Asia Society Philippines and SM By the Bay, in partnership with the Embassy of India, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce, Indian Ladies Club, Sing India Music of the Soul. — BM, GMA News