By Daniel Massey
As the mercury hit the mid-60s, Richmond Hill’s Hindus celebrated the onset of spring Saturday during a colorful parade and ceremony that left thousands of revelers awash in resplendent greens, yellows, reds and purples.
Police estimated that more than 3,000 people showed up for the 13th annual Richmond Hill Phagwah Parade, marching from 133rd Street and Liberty Avenue to Smokey Oval Park on Atlantic Avenue.
By the time the procession reached the park, nearly all of the participants had been showered with powder and colored water, creating a colorful sea of spectators who continued to ritually douse each other during a three-hour religious and cultural ceremony.
Police had asked celebrants to refrain from using powder, which symbolizes renewal, during this year’s parade because of last fall’s anthrax scare, but that did not deter joyous parade-goers from covering each other with the colorful substance.
“They said powder could be confused with anthrax, but powder is the whole point of Phagwah,” said Shameer Shaheid, 14, a freshman at Richmond Hill High School, after he grabbed a friend in a bear hug and poured a bottle of white baby powder over his head.
“Powder represents the fragrance of the flowers of spring and we are expressing the fragrance of our love for our brethren,” said Pandit Chunelall Narine, 40, one of the parade’s organizers.
The 200 police officers on hand did not try to stop the flow of powder.
“If we would have gotten more anthrax scares, it would have been more of an issue,” a police source said. “But there hasn’t been anything for three or four months, so we weren’t going to shut it down.”
Launched in 1989 as a small gathering of about 100 people, the Richmond Hill Phagwah Parade has grown into an event that attracts thousands each March and is particularly popular among the borough’s Indo-Guyanese population. As part of a compromise with police to keep the parade on narrow Liberty Avenue, organizers limited the number of floats this year to 12.
Phagwah, also known as Holi, marks the coming of spring. It dates back thousands of years and is linked to several legends, including one where Prince Prahalad is saved from his despotic father, King Hiranyakashipu, by divine intervention. The most jovial of all Hindu festivals, Phagwah celebrates the destruction of evil and the triumph of goodness.
Store owners lined Liberty Avenue and residents stood on their stoops to get a glimpse of the floats comprised of dancing children and businesses advertising their services as the procession turned down 123rd Street on its way to Smokey Oval Park.
A ceremony was held at the park that included prayers, speeches, singing and dancing.
Not all of the speakers were Hindu. Haji Zakir, a popular radio personality and leader of the Richmond Hill-based United Muslim Organization of New York, told the crowd that the diversity of Richmond Hill should serve as an example to the world.
“We want the world to see that Hindus and Muslims can unite rather than fighting like in India and Pakistan,” he said. “Let them come to Richmond Hill and see how we Hindus and Muslims are united.”
Among the performers were a group of about 10 women from the Richmond Hill Hindu Senior Center who impressed the crowd with their enthusiastic and nimble dance steps to a traditional Hindu tune.
“We’re enjoying ourselves singing and dancing,” said Cumbie Megnauph, 60, one of the performers.
But colors dominated the day. Throughout the ceremony clouds of red, green and white powder wafted through the air.
“Is there anyone with powder here?” Dhanpaul Narine, a parade organizer who served as emcee of the festivities, called out to the crowd. “Well we didn’t see you,” he joked.
It seemed no one was out of bounds when it came to the powdery ritual of renewal. Police Officer Rudy Toolas Prashad of the 102nd Precinct, City Councilmen Allan Jennings (D-Jamaica) and Councilman Joseph Addabbo (D-Ozone Park) were all covered in yellow, red and green.
Jennings, whose suit and tie were stained with a yellow powder, said he had been heavily dusted by a group of teenage girls.
“I’m full of powder, what can I say?” he said. “I’m going to have to go to the dry cleaners.”
Reach reporter Daniel Massey by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
