Celebration of faith festivals

People from all faiths and cultures gathered in Karori for a “Celebration of Festivals” on Sunday 7 May.

All the main religions of the world were represented, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Baha’i.

A combined effort from Ekta (an Indian charity) Iman (Muslim Association) and the Karori Community Centre, the celebration was held to acknowledge the religious festivals coinciding in April and May.

The event was hosted by Karori Community Centre but had grown so big there wasn’t room to hold it at the centre. Instead it was at the Karori Normal School hall, and then there was standing room only.

More than 100 people attended, dressed in traditional garb and looking very colourful and vibrant.

High Commissioners, Members of Parliament, City Councillors and the Mayor, Tory Whanau, were among the dignitaries who attended.

The day was started with karakia by kaumatua Audrey Banks, a regular at the Karori Community Centre.

The speeches were opened by Mayor

Whanau who later posted on her instagram: “What a vibrant, affirming and absolutely perfect way to spend the afternoon … I would love to see this grow into a broader celebration.”

“We are so lucky inKarori to be a community of people who come from a range of cultures and consequently have all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, beliefs and values,” Heather Baldwin, Chairperson of the Karori Community Centre Management Board, said .

Children were entertained with facepainting, and the art table where they coloured pictures related to the festivals. A henna hand painter was also present for the adults.

There was a Rangoli demonstration from the Hindu community (sand picture), a hijab wrapping demonstration from the Muslim community and a turban wrapping demonstration from the Sikhs.

No gathering is complete without food, and there was plenty of food and drink from different cultures. A special thanks to Karori New World and Karori Countdown for supplying tea, coffee and juice.