Richmond community group hosts 3rd annual Holi celebration
People from diverse backgrounds are welcome to attend the free event on April 27 at South Arm Park
Holi marks the arrival of spring, the most iconic way it's celebrated is by throwing colourful powder called gulal at one another. (Submitted)
An online group for members of the Indian community living in Richmond is hosting its third annual Holi festival celebration on April 27 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at South Arm Park.
Indians in Richmond, British Columbia (IRBC), led by organizers Aditya Chourasiya and Sweta Choudhary, plan to bring back the free event on a bigger and better scale — without the COVID-19 restrictions it experienced in the past.
“Holi is very deeply rooted in our culture as well as history. It’s a cultural bonding [and] community-bonding event as well,” Chourasiya says.
“For Indians living in Richmond or Canada, it’s fostering a sense of community. We don’t have as many events as I’d like to. We don’t get together as much, so this allows for that space and time for us to enjoy [and] celebrate with the family.”
Holi, which was on March 25, is the Hindu festival of colours observed in India, Nepal, other South Asian countries, and among the diaspora. It involves celebrants throwing coloured powder at each other and welcoming the spring season.
The event will feature a DJ, kids’ games like spoon and bag races, the throwing of colours, and Bollywood dance.
“It’s a very different type of flavour of dance, I would say. You [are] full of fun and enjoyment, that sort of dance. Nothing classical, nothing structured as such. Everyone [is] dancing to the beat,” Chourasiya says.
Both Indian and non-Indian communities are welcomed to take part in the event.
“Because we are a multicultural country, it adds a lot [to the] rich tapestry of festivals celebrated in the nation,” Chourasiya says.
The organizers are advising attendees to wear weather-appropriate clothes that they do not mind getting dirty or coloured and rubber-soled shoes, as there will be a tarp on the ground that may get slippery. People are also encouraged to bring their own water bottles because disposable ones will not be available at the location for environmental reasons.
Due to city guidelines and insurance restrictions, food and colours will not be provided by the organizers, but some attendees are bringing food, and the event’s local business sponsors may bring colours. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own food and colours in case of allergies, Chourasiya says.
Interested attendees should RSVP on the Facebook event posting to help IRBC better plan and prepare. The celebration, originally scheduled April 6, is postponed due to poor weather, so the Facebook page will have the latest details on the event’s date and time, Chourasiya says.
The organizers are also inviting Richmond councillors Alexa Loo and Chak Au as honorary guests for voting against a motion on Feb. 13 that explored the possibility of having a supervised drug consumption site in the city’s hospital. Two weeks later, Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the city will no longer seek approval on the site and council’s discussion about it closed.
Chourasiya says IRBC will be “honouring them and appreciating them for standing by the community.”
The local group’s Holi events are about sharing tradition and culture with younger generations in their families as well as with their neighbours and community.
“Especially the newcomers, new immigrants, they miss a lot when they are here this first year [for] every event,” Choudhary adds.
“We want to make it homely for them also, especially international students who are far away from their country. With Holi, with the festival of colours, they should know, ‘Okay, we are still in touch with India.’”
