Sept 28: All most all resettled Bhutanese refugees have celebrated their greatest festival Dashain around the world in traditional styles.
Our correspondent in various states of USA reported that despite their busy schedules, refugees enjoyed to observe the day with great significance.
People in Georgia marked Dashain in a community hall of Atlanta city with get together program including Durga puja function and live concert yesterday.
DJ Khaling, one of the organizing committee members of the program, informed BNS that an estimated 3500 people attended the function.
Three Bhutanese organizations including Bhutanese Community of Georgia, Bhutanese Artists of Georgia, and Bhakti Samaj of Georgia have jointly organized the program.
BM Dhakal from Kentucky informed the BNS that the resettled refugees in this state observed Dashain for three days from Saturday by performing various religious activities. Beginning Saturday, the program ended today amidst special function by offering teeka to an estimated 200 Bhutanese refugees.
In Utah, people observed the festival with great enthusiasm at Horizonte Welcome Center. According to our correspondent in Utah, they also organized cultural shows reflecting the significance of the festival. Around 400 people took active participation in the program.
Late reports received from Mohan Sharma in Virginia stated that the resettled refugees in Roanoke city in Virginia performed joint Durga puja on September 26 but they put teeka today on their own apartments in traditional styles. Director of Refugee and Immigration Services Beth Luthjen, among other special guests showed their active participation during Durga puja.
Sharma further informed BNS that school-going children in traditional attires staged a cultural show featuring Nepali folk, filmy, solo song and comedy dance.
Bhutanusa.com, California-based blog, reported that the resettled Bhutanese Families in the cities of Westfield, West Springfield, and Springfield in the State of Massachusetts have organized a get together program on Sunday to mark the festival. Around 200 individuals from at least 45 families took active participation in the program.
Govinda Acharya from Lansing in Michigan informed BNS that around 200 Bhutanese refugees received teeka from senior Nepalese pundit Khem Raj Keshab Sharan. A cultural program was staged in a hall that lasted for almost six hours making the day light wrapped up.
Refugees in Burlington city in Vermont State also observed the festival today amidst a special function by receiving teeka from Bhutanese pundit Dadiram Nepal.
Padam Monger informed BNS that around 250 refugees gathered in a hall provided by Unitary Church in the city where children and youths performed typical Nepali dance to mark the day.
Meanwhile, our correspondent in Washington said around 150 refugees gathered in a meeting hall yesterday to perform Durga puja. Refugees in Spokane city in Washington received teeka on their own apartments beginning yesterday evening.
Around 500 people in Dallas in Texas gathered in a hall to exchange the wishes yesterday. According to Lachu Bastola, representatives of resettlement agencies also observed the program where refugees staged a power point presentation and other cultural shows highlighting the significance of Dashain festival.
Laxmi Acharya from Canada informed BNS that around 40 refugees in Regina celebrated the day today by putting teeka at his apartment.
He further informed that in Quebec in Canada, where larger group of refugees dwell, the day was marked with typical Nepali dances along with teeka-receiving program.
Ichha Poudel reported that resettled refugees at Adelaide in South Australia celebrated Vijaya Dasami, the most important day of the ten-day long Dasain today.
A small but not too congested community hall at the heart of Adelaide city was full of participants who were seen rushing to take blessing with teeka from the senior members of their community.
And, there were seniors from seventy eight year old Bhadra Maya Dhakal to ninety six years old Dhana Pati Poudel who were busy offering teeka, chanting hymn and blessing junior members of the community with longevity, prosperity and peace of mind. Around fifty resettled Bhutanese received blessings from seniors who gathered at the hall at 2 PM after having received tika with blessings from the senior members of the family.
A team of four priests had been praying goddess Durga since yesterday, which is believed to boost the strength of humankind to fight against the evil. The program was conducted with the support from Migrant Resource Centre of South Australia.
Similarly, resettled Bhutanese at other states of Australia also observed Dasain with joy. At Hobart and Launceston, they organized various cultural shows to welcome the approaching Dasain earlier.
Click here to watch a video kept at Youtube that reflects how refugees in Canada celebrated the festival.
By TP Mishra and Kazi Gautam in New York with inputs from other correspondents.
