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The 2005 Phagwah Parade took place on
Sunday April 3 in Richmond Hill, Queens. It featured 17
floats sponsored by temples and local businesses. The
parade attracted primarily an Indo-Caribbean audience who
joined together to celebrate the Hindu holiday Phagwah (also
known as Holi). A defining feature of the parade was the
“Phagwah play” which occurs along the parade route and in
Smoky Oval Park where the parade terminated. “Phagwah play”
describes the throwing of colored dyes and liquids on one
another to celebrate this springtime festival. The parade
attracted nearly 50,000 spectators and was followed by a
celebration in the park which featured speeches by
politicians and community leaders as well as cultural
programming sponsored by local mandirs.
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