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Motorcade 2022 – Photos

October 24, 2022 - By Patrick Carpen

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Published: 24th of October, 2022 by Patrick Carpen

Last updated: December 24, 2022 at 19:35 pm

The Diwali Motorcade is an annual tradition that takes place in the days leading up to Diwali. In addition to lighting diyas and spinning steelwool, mandirs across Guyana take part in a motorcade activity which is considered a prelude to Diwali. Some mandirs execute their motorcade activity several days before Diwali, while others do it on the evening before Diwali in Guyana, South America.

Small trucks are decorated as chariots and adorned with fancy lights, and young Hindu women chosen for their exceptional beauty are decorated and attired as Hindu goddesses. They sit on top of the vehicles in different positions emulating Hindu deities – some with their feet folded and one hand held up midway with palm facing outward as the motorcade makes it way to a central location such as a sports complex. The young women are admired for their beauty and outfit as well as their ability to hold themselves in a stationary position, hardly even blinking, until they reach their destination.

According to my Hindu friend, Naressa, the objective of the motorcade is to bring the beliefs of Hinduism alive and to paint a picture of Hindu deities in the minds of onlookers.