Celebrate Phagwah in a dignified way – Pandit Persaud
Guyana Chronicle
March 7, 2004
PRESIDENT of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud has called on celebrants to maintain the rules of Phagwah observances, and keep the celebration healthy and clean.
“We must celebrate Holi in a dignified way. There are certain rules applicable to the celebration. For example, you must spray perfume, apply abrack and squirt abeer with love and grace. When playing with your parents and elders, thereafter you touch their feet. Equals are embraced.
&Phagwah does not give a licence to wantonly splash water or dab substances on every passerby. You must play with those who welcome you to do so. The celebration must reflect the season of Basant and nothing must be done which can be construed as alien to the festival. The celebration must be kept healthy and clean,” Pandit Persaud said in a message to mark the Festival of Phagwah which is being observed today.
Noting that festivals have inherent strength for uniting people and serve to cement their interaction with each other, Pandit Persaud said he prays for unity and peace and urged Guyanese to always foster goodwill and brotherly love so that Guyana can develop and prosper.
&Guyana’s richness is not confined to its natural resources, but abounds as well in its cultural assets. Our cultural plurality is profoundly stimulating. Moreover, our people have grown to understand, accept and respect this diversity and have increasingly shared in the happiness of our national festivals. This is a sign of profound maturity and is something to be deeply proud about,” he said in the message.
The festival of Phagwah has its genesis in the Vedic era. Sanskrit literature describes it as Vasant Utsav or the Spring Festival. It is time when nature unfolds in all of its grandeur, capturing the magenta from the blossoms in liquid form.
Holi is also harvest time. The peasants pay tribute to nature’s bounty in a deeply spiritual fashion by the offering of Hola or grains in the sacred Angi (fire). Appropriate Vedic Mantras are chanted, and this event is known as Navaneshti Yagya. Yagya is a sacrifice. It is an opportunity to express gratitude. It is a time for offering.
The name Holi is taken from Hola which means grain. The name Phagwah came from the Hindu month of Phalgun. It is also called Vasant Ritu meaning Spring Festival. Holi is celebrated at the end of the Hindu calendar year. Holi, therefore, heralds the Hindu New Year. It is a time for reflection. The past is analysed and resolutions are made to carve out a better future.
The festival took on wider dimensions with the story of Prince Prahalad. Prahalad’s triumph was seen as victory for Dharma over Adharma. As a symbolic act, the huge bonfire known as Holika is burnt on the eve of Phagwah. The burning of Holika is seen as the defeat of evil, and as such, celebrants seek to have all that is negative destroyed. It is a time for renewal and for the crafting of a society bereft of hate, enmity and ill will and for the building of a nation in which love and harmony predominate.
&At Phagwah time, animosities are buried and true live grips the minds of all so that a caring and loving community can be created. Phagwah, therefore, is positive festival. It promotes togetherness, camaraderie and feelings of oneness. It is our sincere prayer that the love which overwhelms the celebration lingers on and penetrates the minds and hearts of all of our people.
&Holi is harbinger of good tidings and creates a truly loving atmosphere. It is a time of reconciliation; a time for acknowledging that the past is dead and the future is yet to be born. We must view the future with optimism. We must be constructive in our thoughts and actions. We must shun despair and be hopeful and never descend to become prophets of doom. Life has much to offer and the human entity constitutes the most powerful and creative force on this earth,” Pandit Persaud said.
He added that “our creativity must be channelled towards noble goals. Selfishness must not be allowed to infiltrate our minds. We must have a global vision and acknowledge the Hindu maxim: Vasudeva Kutumbakam – the universe is one family.”