President attends Phagwah celebration at Dharmic Sabha Kendra

Georgetown, GINA, March 22, 2008

Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo today joined a large gathering of celebrants for the grand Holi ceremony which is customarily held at the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Kendra on Phagwah day.
            The event is one of many organised each year by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and is often highlighted with singing, dancing and spraying of colourful powder and abeer.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and other Ministers of Government were also among those who attended the celebration which concluded at around 17:30 h.
Upon his arrival the Head of State was greeted by celebrants who smeared the colourful powder and abeer on his face as is customary.
Phagwah was also celebrated in various parts of the country as even non-Hindus were seen celebrating.
In his Phagwah message the President urged Guyanese to use the message of good over evil to draw strength in unity and pool all energies for the fight against the many evil forces in society.
  Phagwah or Holi, observed as a national holiday in Guyana is the Hindu celebration of the spring festival and the dawning of the New Year. The festival was brought to British Guiana by Hindus who arrived as indentured labourers to work on sugar plantations in the early 1840s.
The festival is ushered in with the burning of Holika. This ceremonial practice is a symbolic representation of the story told in the Hindu scriptures of King HyranyaKashipu and his son Prahalad which sends the message about the triumph of good over evil.

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