Explosions of cheerful colour as Darwin’s Hindu community celebrate Holi festival

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A corner of Darwin's East Point has been transformed into an explosion of colour for the Hindu Holi festival.  It's the second Holi celebration held in the city this month for members of the large South Asian community.

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00:00A truly territorian take on a now global tradition, warmly welcoming newcomers to Darwin, and

00:21a chance to connect with culture, signifying harmony and new beginnings.

00:26I love Holi. It's one of my most favourite festivals in India and here.

00:32Some early wet season rain subdued the scale of the celebrations, but none of the spirit.

00:38It was just one of many occasions in the calendar for the Top End's subcontinental population this year,

00:44and the second Holi festival held so far this month.

00:48Do Indians throw the best parties in the world?

00:50Definitely. We love the colours and the food.

00:54As you can probably see behind me, it really doesn't take much to go from this to this.

01:01But that's what Holi is all about, a celebration of colour and fun.

01:06Traditionally celebrated in the subcontinent, the Hindu festival has now spread worldwide.

01:12This festival is a joyful festival. We're sharing our food, colour and everything.

01:19More than half of Australians have a parent born overseas, and even more in Darwin,

01:25with census data suggesting South Asians make up one of its largest immigrant populations.

01:31A fact not lost on politicians who showed up from both major parties ahead of the federal election.

01:38If we have somebody over there making policies in Canberra to look at the Indian subcontinent and the migrants,

01:46their contributions to the economy, their contributions to the culture,

01:50and their contributions to Darwin, what it makes as the best multicultural city in Australia.

01:56A call to continue building proud cultural ties in a territory community that's strong as ever.

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