For the second year running, the national holiday for the Hindu festival of Diwali and the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) Georgetown motorcade will fall on the same day.
This is a result of an ongoing dispute about the calculation of the date for Diwali between the GHDS and another group, the Veerat Sabha. In an advertisement in today’s Sunday Stabroek, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan has proclaimed the holiday as Saturday, October 29. The GHDS had earlier announced that its motorcade programme will culminate in Georgetown on October 29.
The Georgetown motorcade is immensely popular and will result in Hindus having to decide which day they will observe as the holiday as many may also want to view the motorcade which would pass at a time when celebrants are supposed to light up their diyas and offer prayers. The GHDS has told its followers that Diwali will be observed on Sunday, October 30th.
Last year, Ramjattan had announced the Diwali holiday as November 10 and this was the same day that the GHDS motorcade in Georgetown was held.
