Caribbean leaders express pleasure on Holi with heartfelt blessings

Firstly, the President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, hailed the nation with the great wishes of Holi, and he hosted several cultural programmes in the wake of the festival. 

Caribbean celebrates Holi
Caribbean celebrates Holi

Caribbean: On the auspicious occasion of Phagwah, commonly known as Holi, various Caribbean leaders poured wishes with a heartfelt message to every community that prominently celebrates the festival on Friday, March 18, 2022. 

Firstly, the President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, hailed the nation with the great wishes of Holi, and he hosted several cultural programmes in the wake of the festival. 

President of Guyana Irfaan Ali celebrates Phagwa or Holi
President of Guyana Irfaan Ali celebrates Phagwa or Holi

On Thursday, March 17, 2022, President Dr Irfaan Ali and First Lady Arya Ali hosted a dinner and cultural programme in observance of Phagwah, which is commonly known as Holi, on the lawns of the State House. 

Further, Prime Minister of Guyana Brigadier, Mark Philips, Vice President Dr Bharat Jagdeo and Cabinet ministers and Members of the diplomatic community have accompanied the President of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali, on the special occasion of Holi.

On the day of Holi- Friday, March 18, 2022, President Irfaan and Lady Arya Ali also attended a Phagwah celebration and cultural programme at the Georgetown Cricket Club this morning.

President of Guyana Irfaan Ali celebrates Phagwa or Holi
President of Guyana Irfaan Ali celebrates Phagwa or Holi

The event was hosted by the High Commission of India and the Swami Vivekanand Cultural Centre.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa and other members of the diplomatic community were also a part of the festivity.

Further, the wishes have also come from St Kitts and Nevis. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Civil Aviation and Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley hailed the Guyanese and Hindu community residing in Nevis. 

Mark Brantley celebrates Holi
Mark Brantley celebrates Holi

While expressing his happiness, Brantley affirmed, “What a beautiful evening celebrating Phagwah with the Guyanese and Hindu community here in Nevis”. 

He also pours blessings and signifies the beautiful coulurs of the festival and noted,”Wishing all my Hindu brothers and sisters Happy Holi, Happy Phagwah“. 

While expressing gratitude to all the Caribbean brothers and sisters for highlighting the culture and emphasized, “I thank our Caribbean brothers and sisters for infusing our culture with their own and enriching the tapestry of our island life”. 

Mark Brantley celebrates Holi
Mark Brantley celebrates Holi

He said that he also met a couple from Slovakia and enjoyed Nevis and the festivities and asserted that his time had been spent happily.