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The Hindu festival of Phagwa celebrates the Vernal Equinox and the start of the Hindu New Year. In Trinidad and Tobago, a Carnival spirit has pervaded the festivities, which now combine both secular and religious elements and are no longer confined to Hindus. The celebration includes bonfires (to symbolize the destruction of Holika, the evil sister of King Hiranya Kashipu) and Chowtal-singing competitions, which mix religious and secular music and are heavily influenced by calypso. The spraying of Abeer powder, a red vegetable dye, gives everyone’s hair and skin a tie-dyed effect. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary