26 March,2021 08:13 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
This picture has been used for representational purpose
People should celebrate Holi in a simple manner considering the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and crowding should be avoided, the state government said on Friday. Holi will be celebrated on March 28 and Rang Panchami falls a day later.
"The festival should be celebrated in a simple manner, observing social distancing norms and without coming together in any way given the increasing spread of COVID-19. Rang Panchami too should be celebrated in a simple manner," the government said in a statement.
Noting that the state's Konkan region has a tradition of carrying a ''palkhi'' or palanquin in a procession on Holi, the state government said this should be confined to temples and asked the local administration to do the needful.
"No big religious or cultural programmes should be organised on the day of Holi and Rang Panchami," the government added.
ALSO READ
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Dry days begin in Mumbai from Nov 18 ahead of polls
Stock markets closed for Guru Nanak Jayanti; Asian indices see mixed trends
Govt empowers schools to declare holiday depending on teachers deployed for poll duty
Sonakshi Sinha, Zaheer Iqbal enjoy family holiday, shares cute pics
Ananya Panday flaunts her bikini body during Dubai holiday, see pics
The state government also urged the Christian community to observe Good Friday (on April 2) and celebrate Easter Sunday (on April 4) in a simple manner in view of the spread of the disease.
The government said, if a church is spacious, maximum of 50 persons should attend the prayer meet there during the holy week from March 28 to April 4. If the church is smaller in size, then a special prayer meet should be held in the presence of 10-25 persons, and four to five special masses may be organised depending on the need, it said.
It said adherence to COVID-19 protocols, including wearing masks, using hand sanitisers etc, must be ensured, adding that efforts must also be made to broadcast prayer meets online.
"No religious programme that can attract crowd in any way should be organised. Besides, procession should not be taken out," the statement said.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever