Dramatic Punjab folk dance, sparkling traditional costumes and chants are just some of the ways the Hindu harvest festival was celebrated in Dublin at the weekend. Almost 300 Hindus gathered in Dundrum on Saturday night to celebrate Makar Sankrant, Lohri and Pongal feasts.
The last census recorded a doubling of the number of Hindus in Ireland to over 6,000. However, Sudhansh Verma, general secretary of the fledgling Hindu Cultural Centre Ireland, estimates that there are actually about 15,000 Hindus in Ireland. Most are IT and healthcare professionals who have migrated from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal, he explains.
Within two years, the centre hopes to set up a venue where Hindus can practice their religious and cultural traditions, as there is currently no Hindu temple here. Mr Verma says such a centre is particularly important for Hindu children who are growing up in Ireland and one focus of the centre will be to help to develop their social and spiritual values.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore, wearing a tilaka on his forehead and a garland around his neck, opened the celebrations by lighting the diya candle at a brightly coloured Ganesh shrine. Mr Gilmore said the event reminded him of many St Patrick's Day festivals for Irish immigrant communities abroad.
Following performances of the Punjab gidda dance and traditional Irish dancing, Mr Gilmore remarked on similarities between Irish and Hindu cultures, noting that while Irish dance is from the hip-down, Hindu dance is from the hip-up.
Priests from England and Northern Ireland chanted and prayed in English and Hindi.
One of the priests, Vihari Sharan, explained that Makar Sankrant marks a period when the sun travels north and is an auspicious time for Hindus and marks a new beginning. Pongal is a four-day harvest celebration in southern India.
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