India’s colourful harvest – Holi Mahotsav celebrations
11 March 2009
The Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, today extended his best wishes to Australians and visitors alike who are about to celebrate the Hindu harvest festival Holi Mahotsav.
‘Like Deepavali, held later in the year, Holi is becoming more widely celebrated by the broader Australian community,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘Holi is one of the most important and popular Indian Hindu festivals. It is also known as the Festival of Colours. A tradition of the second day of Holi is to throw coloured powder to ward off illness.’
Mr Ferguson also took the opportunity to urge all Australians to extend a warm welcome to the many students from India who choose to study in Australia.
‘According to the 2006 Census, there are 234 720 Australians with Indian ancestry, while in 2008, we welcomed some 63 000 Indian students to our universities,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘To all those taking part in the celebrations, I wish you a happy Holi,’ the parliamentary secretary added.
This year Holi falls on March 11. Celebrations have been organised for March 14 at the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs just outside Melbourne. Celebrations will continue on March 15 at the Sandown Race Course in Noble Park. In Sydney, Holi celebrations will take place on April 3 at Darling Harbour.
Media contact: Carla Wilshire 0432 755 935
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2009/lf09010.htm
Last update: 11 March 2009 at 11:03 AEST