TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 1 - APRIL 7, 2022 2
TRUE COLORS OF THE SPRING
Phagwah Parade makes a beautiful comeback in South Richmond Hill following two-year hiatus
BY DEAN MOSES
Queens showed its true colors
Sunday.
The Phagwah Parade returned
on March 27 after a long,
two-year hiatus amidst the COVID
19 pandemic. Known as
the festival of colors, the traditional
march was traded in
for a stationary, concert-esque
atmosphere on Liberty Avenue
and Lefferts Boulevard; however,
this did not dampen spirits.
Hundreds from all over the
five boroughs turned out to
commemorate Holi, the Hindu
spring festival celebrated
throughout North India on the
full-moon day of Phalguna. The
celebration represents the arrival
of spring and the triumph
of good over evil.
On this day, revelers shower
one another in multicolored liquid
and power, with each shade
carrying a meaning.
From the young to the old,
laughter became mixed with a
haze of dye that rained down
over the crowd as participants
highlighted each other in a
rainbow. Tossing the colors
to Hindu music, the spectrum
of powder became so dense at
certain points the crowd could
barely see a foot ahead of them.
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards congratulated
his constituents for the high
number of vaccinations and
promised that next year the
parade would return properly.
Mayor Adams also attended the
celebration, although noticeably
attempted to dodge any
powder that came his way.
“This is such an important
day. Phagwah is the Festival of
Colors, and it shows the colors
and diversity of our city and
what this community means
to us,” Adams said. “This is a
community that has contributed
so much and now this is your
moment to say that you are very
much part of New York. We look
forward to being your partners.
You helped me become the
mayor, and I’m gonna help you
become the strong community
that you desire to become.”
The traditional The Phagwah Parade returned on March 27; however, it was a stationary event and not a march as in years in past.
Photos by Dean Moses
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