Kaleidoscopic Diwali motorcade attracts thousands
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, October 27, 2019
The 2019 Diwali, on Saturday evening, illuminated parts of Georgetown and the East Coast of Demerara, ushering in the religious observances on Sunday, October 27.
The route was teeming with onlookers as thousands of people lined the streets and along the seawall to get a glimpse of the colourful spectacle of floats portraying the story of Diwali and various Hindu religious depictions.
The motorcade, which began at the Shri Krishna Mandir Campbellville, proceeded along Sandy Babb Street, Vlissengen Road then to the Rupert Craig Highway. The final destination for the motorcade was at La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD).
Participants in this year’s motorcade came from mandirs from all across Guyana; from as far as Berbice and Essequibo.
One of the organisers, Adrian (only name given) from the Goed Bananen Land’s Shri Rama Krishna Mander, explained that they had “24 participants on the float and one of the scenes they were depicting was the turning of the ocean where Mother Lakshmi would come out and then we have another scene where she takes the form of Vishnu and then to the front of the float we have the story of Diwali, and we also have the scene depicting Lord Ram when he returned from Ayodhya.” According to Adrian, their mandir placed sixth last year; however, this year, they are hoping for the win.
The Diwali Motorcade originated in Guyana in 1974 and is part of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s Calendar of activities for the observance of the festival.