Phagwa 2019 – A Time for Renewal

What is the story you want to tell?

That was the question posed to us by photo walk leader, Maria Nunes as we gathered last Sunday for Phagwa celebrations at Hindu Prachar Kendra in Enterprise, Chaguanas.

Phagwa or Holi as it is also called, is a traditional Hindu festival of colours, celebrating the start of spring. It was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago by indentured East Indian labourers around 1845. While we don’t have spring here in Trinidad, we joyfully celebrate this time of renewal as participants are sprayed (and do their own fair share of spraying) with a variety of coloured dyes and powders.

MY STORY

Now let’s back up a bit, so you can understand how I even came to be in Phagwa celebrations in the first place.

When 2019 started, I made several promises to myself – one of which was that I would say yes to more adventures that took me out of my comfort zone and not cancel at the last minute to stay home and binge watch Netflix.

So it was a no-brainer, when Chan and Ru invited me to a photo walk
for Phagwa which was being organized by the Photographic Focus Group, I was like YES! Because…two birds one stone kinda business. I get to keep a promise to myself and learn a little more about our culture in the process.

MY YES

Just so you know how big of a ‘YES’ this really was:

1. I do not own a camera. I use my phone (not an iphone) to capture all of my photos.

2. I have never been to any Phagwa celebrations before; and I have only ever had a mild interest in what it was all about.

And 3. The only photo walk I’ve ever been on entails me walking around with my phone, taking random shots of things I like hoping for the best.

For the photo walk, Ru generously loaned me a Fujifilm FinePix XP120 (underwater) point and shoot camera. It was perfect for the day’s activities and using this type of camera certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone.

THE STORIES I CHOSE TO TELL

Initially I wanted to capture the faces of Phagwa because I suppose faces tell the obvious story. And it seemed like the easiest choice in a festival of colour. I also thought about hands… but as the field filled up with people a whole new story emerged.

I felt a little out of place. I had never been to a celebration such as this, where there is a religious aspect backed by a live soundtrack of political commentary. But somehow it worked. And it reminded me that this is inherently what makes Trinidad & Tobago, the land that I love, so unique. Every creed…does find their place here.

We started with a prayer and I noticed that more than anything else…the sense of community was everywhere. This made me think about legacies. How we pass on traditions to our children and how we tell our story so they can learn from it and grow. So ultimately, they too would be able to tell their own stories.

ONE FAMILY, ONE COMMUNITY

As I started focusing on that…it became clear – the story I wanted to tell. It was in the families present. The generations – young mothers, some pregnant mothers and the matriarchs. The more mature lady who explained to me that the colours had meaning, while “blessing” me with some blue and red powder. Blue represents protection from evil while red symbolizes love and fertility. And I was like bless me with plenty of both!

The dads. There were so many dads holding babies and grandfathers holding grand-babies. I was impressed by the level of male participation. The guys came out and showed out. In a time where men are often reviled for not being present, here they were as much a part of the festivities as everyone else.

I did not want to be intrusive. So I tried to capture those family moments of love and legacy and overlapping stories as an interested but awed bystander.

As the afternoon wore on, the shrieks of glee from the children overpowered even my own reticence for the unfamiliar. I began to feel more comfortable in my skin. Maybe that had to with the fact that after a while, you just have to go with the flow and get into the fun of the thing. Or maybe it was due to the mask of paint I was wearing and there is some freedom in masks. But soon enough, I relaxed and had some fun.

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While I had fun…which had more to do with my friends being there than the actual festivities, I may not attend Phagwa celebrations in the future. However, I do feel like the traditions of Phagwa are in good hands. And this is definitely a festival I would recommend you experience at least once.