Thursday 8 March 2012

Holi day


Not to be confused with holy day or holiday, today was holi day. It is the Hindu new year and so Guyana is a party zone... Or a death-trap, depending on your point of view.

As you can see from the attached, holi day - or pagwa - as it is called here consists of coloured powder and water being thrown over ones friends as a celebration of the colours of the new year and spring. Apparently the colours have religious significance, but no one could tell us what. It is a national holiday, which is just asking for trouble.

Yesterday I managed to have a brush with this celebration, sitting on a tapir (small jeep public transport thing) waiting to pick someone up right outside a school. Duh. Smiley faces turned into evil as talc was launched at me. It only got me a little, but enough to lament over, that is, until I got home and heard that Amber got soaked and covered in purple! She was pagwa'd ( a new verb I have created).

Today we stayed in the house and tentatively walked to the meeting with pleading eyes so as not to get covered!

Enjoy the photos - not mine, but exactly what we have seen today.











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