Children, families and staff from Ellington Infant School in Ramsgate took part in a colour-filled celebration in honour of the Hindu festival Holi on Thursday, March 30.
Following the success of the event last year, the school again invited Kalpesh Zalavadiya, a classically trained Indian dance teacher, to work with all the children in a Bollywood-inspired day of music and dance. Kalpesh put children and staff through their paces in workshops which taught a number of dance routines, which would be put together for a whole school performance in the afternoon.
Parents and families were invited along to watch and enjoy the celebrations. After the main dances had been performed, Kalpesh produced the coloured paint powders, which is when the famous Holi paint throwing took place.
Holi is a popular Hindu festival which signifies the triumph of good over evil. It celebrates the arrival of spring, the blossoming of love and for many it’s a festival day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships.
Holi is commonly celebrated by throwing colours at one another to symbolise filling each other’s life with colours of joy, happiness, health, peace, prosperity and love. Anyone and everyone are fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, men or women, children or elders, and this was very much the case with Ellington’s celebration.
Children, siblings, family members and staff all entered into the spirit of the occasion, scattering colour and joy all across the school. It was the perfect way to end the Spring term, allowing all involved to unwind and enjoy each other’s company for the afternoon.
Ellington’s head teacher, Adnan Ahmet said: “It was great to have Kalpesh back, following the amazing event that he led last year. Our Holi celebration has become very popular, and it was lovely to be able to share the experience with our new families and children who were not with us last year.
“Many parents gave glowing reviews, and would love to see it back next year. A big thank you to our teaching assistant Mrs Burridge for capturing the day on camera, and thank you to all of our families who came out in support of the school and to support the children.”
