Bhang (भांग) - the intoxicant of Holi

606

Bhang, an edible preparation of cannabis leaves ground with milk and spices, is consumed during Holi and Mahashivratri, served in thandai, lassi and pakoras. It remains legal in much of India because the NDPS Act of 1985 excludes cannabis leaves and seeds from its definition of banned cannabis, and it is sold from government-licensed shops in several states. A recurring annual custom; year carried from the earliest firm Holi attestation, as bhang's own antiquity is not precisely datable.