We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Or Colorado, or maybe not even England for that matter.
Yesterday was marvelous. We went to Southall, which is a predominantly Indian/Pakistani part of west London. We really weren't sure what to expect because Saturday is their big market day but we couldn't go on Saturday. What we walked in to couldn't have been better. Yesterday was a Sihk festival day, Vaisakhi. Unreal.
We got off the bus on the high street and noticed people setting up booths. As we got further in, we realized that *something* was going on. Within minutes, there were people everywhere and they were handing us plates of food. There were dals, bajhi, samosa, fried bread, sweets, fruit, Coke, water, and juice boxes everywhere--and all for the taking. The streets were getting progressively more crowded so we decided to walk up the hill towards the train station to see if we could get a good overview. On the way up, we asked what was going on and a young woman explained that this was one of the holiest Sikh celebrations of the year. She said the procession would begin soon. So, we placed ourselves near the top of the hill and waited and watched.
Within a few minutes, it began. First, barefoot men and women came through sweeping the street and picking up trash. Then a float came by. People ran up, offered a prayer and a donation, and came back to their spot on the street. I've never seen anything more colorful--the saris the women wore were every color of the rainbow and the sea of turbans that were orange, blue, and white primarily. There were thousands and thousands of people and you could not move. We stayed put and watched, and of course shot pictures. This went on for at least two hours. There is a good article on it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1915730.stm.
Once the crowd thinned a bit, we headed back to London on the train, rather than trying to go down into the crowd further. It was a beautiful day and something out of another world. Not the sort of thing you see in Denver, or really, anywhere else I've been. What a day.
Yesterday was marvelous. We went to Southall, which is a predominantly Indian/Pakistani part of west London. We really weren't sure what to expect because Saturday is their big market day but we couldn't go on Saturday. What we walked in to couldn't have been better. Yesterday was a Sihk festival day, Vaisakhi. Unreal.
We got off the bus on the high street and noticed people setting up booths. As we got further in, we realized that *something* was going on. Within minutes, there were people everywhere and they were handing us plates of food. There were dals, bajhi, samosa, fried bread, sweets, fruit, Coke, water, and juice boxes everywhere--and all for the taking. The streets were getting progressively more crowded so we decided to walk up the hill towards the train station to see if we could get a good overview. On the way up, we asked what was going on and a young woman explained that this was one of the holiest Sikh celebrations of the year. She said the procession would begin soon. So, we placed ourselves near the top of the hill and waited and watched.
Within a few minutes, it began. First, barefoot men and women came through sweeping the street and picking up trash. Then a float came by. People ran up, offered a prayer and a donation, and came back to their spot on the street. I've never seen anything more colorful--the saris the women wore were every color of the rainbow and the sea of turbans that were orange, blue, and white primarily. There were thousands and thousands of people and you could not move. We stayed put and watched, and of course shot pictures. This went on for at least two hours. There is a good article on it here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1915730.stm.
Once the crowd thinned a bit, we headed back to London on the train, rather than trying to go down into the crowd further. It was a beautiful day and something out of another world. Not the sort of thing you see in Denver, or really, anywhere else I've been. What a day.
posted by Kay at
7:52 AM
2 Comments:
What an amazing experience!
Ah, to be in England now that April is here.
Or something like that. Sounds like you're having a great time!
I haven't been in 10 years. I'm due.
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