84 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • APRIL 19, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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Queens celebrates Holi during 30th annual Phagwah Parade
BY WILLIAM HARRIS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
When the streets of Queens are covered
with multicolored powder, you know that
the Hindu celebration of Holi is in full
eff ect.
On Saturday, April 14, the 30th annual
Phagwah Parade began the celebration
as people threw colored powder at one
another, fl oats paraded the streets and
musical performances played in the background.
Th e parade brought a colored
powder trail through the streets of Ozone
Park and Richmond Hill, before covering
Rizzuto Park.
Th e Hindu holiday of Holi, also known
as the “festival of colors” celebrates the
victory of good against evil as well as winter
turning into spring. Th e offi cial date of
Holi for 2018 was on Friday, March 2, but
due to cold weather conditions the previous
year, the Phagwah Parade was pushed
back to April.
Even NYPD precincts joined the festivities
as some offi cers were covered in powder
by the end of the parade. As a recent
tweet by the NYPD 106th Precinct stated,
“What a wonderful day for the 30th
annual Phagwah Parade along Liberty
Ave. Everyone was so happy to celebrate
Holi. Of course, our offi cers were out in
force to keep the parade safe and ensure
smooth operation.”
Th e weather couldn’t have been better
for this year’s festivities as temperatures
reached the high 70s, a major diff erence
from the colder conditions a year ago.
Th e 2018 Phagwah Parade marked the
third consecutive year that the Federation
of Hindu Mandirs and the Arya Spiritual
Center were in charge of planning the
event together.
Photos via Twitter/@NYPD102Pct, @NYPD103Pct, @NYPDQueensSouth and Shruti Parekh via Sonny Singh
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