Oldham Temple Explodes in Colour as Hundreds Celebrate Holi

The car park behind Shree Swaminarayan Mandir erupted into clouds of crimson, saffron and emerald on Sunday as roughly 80 revellers marked Holi, the Hindu spring festival that turns strangers into canvases for one another’s joy.

Children squealed, grandparents laughed and bystanders were pulled into the fray as fistfuls of gulal powder arced through the air, each colour carrying its own silent blessing: red for love, yellow for happiness, green for growth, blue for serenity. Within minutes every shirt, face and hijab bore the same brilliant patchwork, erasing age, faith and postcode in a single, laughing breath.

Traditional dhol drums kept a relentless beat while dancers spun between plates of samosas and jalebis that vanished as fast as the volunteers could refill them. The temple’s youth group had spent weeks plotting the choreography; by midday their trainers were as pink as the powder crusted on their eyelashes.

“It was wonderful to see people from across Oldham’s community and beyond come together,” temple trustee Anil Kara said, brushing violet dust from his sleeves. “In the festival’s vibrant hues we embraced the arrival of spring and the spirit of togetherness. Holi always reminds us that joy knows no boundaries.”

The full-moon ritual, repeated annually since the temple’s 2022 reopening, is fast becoming a fixed point in the borough’s civic calendar. Behind the mandir’s carved doors, sports halls that usually host women-only netball and yoga sessions were given over to pounding feet and tabla rhythms, proof, Kara added, that “happiness is brightest when shared.”

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