The Portsmouth Hindu Society celebrated the festival on Sunday, March 31, at the Portsmouth Deaf Centre. While Holi was celebrated in India on Monday, March 25, the community decided to arrange the event the event on the following Sunday in the UK to allow more of the community to celebrate. The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil in Hindu mythology, where a demon, Holika, tried to burn Prahlada on a pyre but in turn was burnt herself. It also marks the arrival of spring and celebrates fertility colour and love.
Guddu Ghosh, a member of Portsmouth Hindu Society, reflected on the day. He said: “It went really well, it was a lot of fun and there was a lot of people there. We had just over a 100 people turn up which is quite good as the community is small. We had people come from Southampton and Portsmouth. Our community probably has about 50 people itself, so we sent out invites and made flyers, which got more people to come, especially students. We had some international students come down, it was something different for them and made them feel more at home, doing the celebrations that people do in India.”
Here are 12 brilliantly colourful pictures of the festival:
5. Festival of Colours
Portsmouth Hindu Society arranged the event on the bank holiday Sunday to enable the community to come together. Photo: Guddu Ghosh
6. Festival of Colours
Alongside the colourful paint, the festival incorporates the serving and sharing of food amongst guests. Photo: Guddu Ghosh
7. Festival of Colours
Sapan Ghosh and his daughter Simran get ready to start the festivities. Photo: Guddu Ghosh
8. Festival of Colours
As part of the celebration, dry coloured powder is wiped on each others faces. Different areas of India have variations on the Holi festival, it is a celebration of the arrival of spring and forgiveness. Photo: Guddu Ghosh