Cherry blossom finale after church service: Meghalaya Dy CM

The government had told the organisers to begin the concluding day’s festivities after 3 PM, after the Sunday church service, said Meghalaya DY CM Prestone Tynsong

Amidst the criticism drawn by the State Government for concluding the Shillong Cherry Blossom festival on a Sunday, Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has addressed the concerns by stating that the concluding function of the immensely popular Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival will now commence after the Sunday church service.

“We have instructed the organizers that, for this occasion, since it coincides with a Sunday, the festival’s conclusion should start after 3 pm, following the church service,” Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong announced on Thursday.

In response to the discontent expressed by some regarding the festival ending on a Sunday, Tynsong offered his perspective, saying, “If you talk about Sunday, Saturday, or Friday, sometimes it happens. Sometimes the last day ends on a Sunday or the first day begins on a Sunday.”

“I want to reassure everyone that this programme is only three days long, and it just so happens that it is ending on a Sunday. Next year onwards we will see to it that it does not fall on a Sunday,” said Tynsong.

Tynsong appealed to all and said, “I would appeal to everyone to be cool and calm, and we will see, from next year onwards, to calculate the date accordingly so that everyone is happy and benefits from this festival.”

Every year, during November, Shillong turns into a live painting with blooming cherry flowers covering the city with shades of pink and purple, and that is when the state celebrates the Cherry Blossom festival. The festival is celebrated every year to mark the unique autumn flowering of the Himalayan cherry blossom in the hills of Meghalaya.

The festivity will begin with Megha Kayak Fest, an annual white water contest to be held at Umtham Village. The Tourism Department announced that the Shillong Literary Festival, a part of the Cherry Blossom Festival, will be held from November 14 to 16. The Cherry Blossom Festival would be held from November 17 to 18.

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