The argument that the Cherry Blossom Festival should not be held on a Sunday due to religious reasons is not worth commenting on, according to Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh.
The minister was asked by reporters today to respond to an NGO’s demand that next month’s Cherry Blossom Festival should not be held on the Christians’ day of rest. The festival is scheduled to end on November 19.
Lyngdoh said that every day is holy and not just Sunday. “I don’t think it is worth commenting on this because every day is holy and precious. There is no particular day in a week that is holy and the rest of the week unholy.”
STIEH, the NGO in question, had recently petitioned Lyngdoh over the festival’s last day, saying that Sundays are a sacred and holy day according to the majority Christian population of Meghalaya.
“Sunday is a day reserved for professing our faith and devotion to God and concluding a festival which pays tribute to a tree is an insult to our faith and belief and also to God Himself,” STIEH said.
