Dear Editor,
This weekend, Guyana will celebrate two religious festivals on a grand scale. Very few countries have different religious holidays and holy days that coincide like Guyana. It is usually one (Christian, Hindu or Muslim) or the other. We should consider ourselves blessed and take advantage of this unique celebration to better relations among the diverse ethnic groups that constitute the nation.
As we celebrate the two festivals, we should not let the viciousness of “ethnic” killers divide us. For decades, Guyanese have lived relatively peacefully enjoying each other’s festivals. We should not disrupt this relationship.
Both the Hindu festival of Holi and the Christian festival of Good Friday and Easter affirm one’s allegiance to religion and to a better life. Religion is not about hatred. It is about love and respect and as such we should not fall into a trap of denigrating anyone’s faith. People of the different faiths should appreciate the faiths of one another and live in peace and harmony and don’t allow politicians or gunmen to divide them.
In Guyana there has always been a cross-cultural acceptance of Holi and Easter. On Good Friday, as a little boy, I recall many Hindus and Muslims engaging in fasting. Out of respect for their Christian brethren, they avoid meat and do not kill animals. Good Friday was usually a time for reflection and to pay obeisance to the Lord. Even Hindus, used the occasion to go to their temples to pray.
Holi was an occasion for conviviality. As many scholars have penned, it is a time for burying the hatchet and forgetting the enmity that exists among one another. It is a time for new bonding and renewed ties.
Easter was known during my youth as a time for merry making and fun as children took to flying kites. On Holi, people of different faiths and ethnicities splash abeer and powder on one another. Africans would come to our villages and partake in the meals and play Phagwah. And on Easter, Hindus and Muslims fly kites and celebrate just as the Christians do with special meals and drinks.
So in Guyana, people have lived together in harmony for many decades. But things are not so cosy in recent times with ethnic killers on the prowl spreading fear. During this weekend’s festivals of Holi and Easter, celebrants should continue to enjoy each other’s holidays and pledge to protect one another against those who seek to bring harm to them.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
