Phagwa celebrations will go on

Phagwa celebrations will be held this weekend as normal and will not be affected by concerns over the spread of covid19, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) senior pundit Khemraj Vyas said.

He was speaking Sunday at a media conference held at Vyas Hindu Complex in Charlieville, Chaguanas and was responding to a question on whether or not Phagwa celebrations would be affected by the coronavirus.

Vyas said he was at the last meeting of the SDMS central regional council and confirmed there are plans for Phagwa celebrations this year. “Phagwa celebrations will take place at the Orange Valley Hindu Mandir and all branches, all schools, all temples have been invited.”

The annual Hindu spring festival of Phagwa, also known as Holi, will be celebrated this coming Sunday. The festival, characterised by singing, dancing and the spraying coloured dyes known in TT as abeer, is a rite of purification to promote good health.

Also at the media conference, Pundit Bhadase Seetahal-Maraj said there is a national responsibility where the coronavirus is concerned and everyone has a role including the Hindu community.

“So in our mandirs across the land, what we have been encouraging devotees to do is to ensure whatever you are preparing, you are preparing under very hygienic conditions. So if you are cooking food to serve people, you need to know people are not coughing or any other similar things.

“So whether you are making prasad for distribution, you are making meals to share, you are (cooking) to distribute during pujas...we certainly are encouraging everybody to ensure the most hygienic conditions and exercise proper scrutiny of their environment in which such things are being prepared.”

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"Phagwa celebrations will go on"

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