Located in the north-east coast of South America, Guyana celebrates
Holi with great fan fair.
Holi or Phagwa, as the Guyanese better know, is celebrated by the singing
of special songs called
Chowtaals and by the spraying of coloured
powder (abrack) and water (abeer). Children take special delight in the
festival and submerge any passerby with their colourful water jets called
pichkaris.
The season of Holi, starts a month before with the planting of the Holika,
a castor oil plant. This plant is burnt one month later as Holika,
commemorating Prahlad's legendary devotion to Lord Shiva and also the
triumph of good over evil.
Holi happens to be a national holiday in Guyana as Hindus constitute about
33 per cent of the country's population. Guyanese living overseas make
special arrangement to be with the family at the time of Holi.
