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PHOTOS: Phagwah Parade returns with a colorful flair in Richmond Hill

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Photos: QNS/ Josef Pinlac

After a year-long hiatus, the Phagwah Parade returned to Richmond Hill in style on Saturday afternoon, March 26.

Hundreds of people celebrating in the colorful celebration of the springtime Hindu holiday known as Holi wound its way through Richmond Hill streets before ending at Phil Rizzuto Park.

Last year’s Phagwah Parade was cancelled due to a dispute between the Hindu Parade and Festivals Committee, which sponsored the annual event. The march returned this year under the sponsorship of the Federation of Hindu Mandirs, Inc., which welcomed an array of marchers from NYPD marching bands to members of the LGBT community.

One of the floats in the parade carried a sign which called for Phagwah to bring “colors of joy and unity to our hearts.”

Following the traditional Hindu custom, many of the participants blanketed each other with colored powder or liquid, reflecting the many colorful flowers that blossom in the spring.