Guests enjoy singing and dancing at Maidenhead Teeyan Festival

Guests enjoyed singing, dancing and refreshments as they celebrated the Teeyan Festival in Maidenhead on Saturday.

Organised by the Maidenhead Senior Asian Ladies Yoga Group, this year marked the second time the festival was held in the town.

Teeyan is a traditional festival which takes place in the Punjab in India at the start of the monsoon season.

During this time, married women return to their parental homes to reunite with their friends, share life experiences, reminisce about their childhood and enjoy parties featuring songs, folk dances and plenty of food.

They spend the entire month there and return with lots of memories and gifts from their parents called Sandhara.

On Saturday, organisers looked to recreate this vibrant atmosphere by decorating the All Saints Church hall with colourful artwork.

Suki Johal, treasurer of the group, said: “We were overwhelmed by the response from the local ladies, who turned up in their colourful Punjabi outfits.

“Everyone thoroughly enjoyed singing traditional folk songs, dancing, and, of course, the food.”

Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds and Royal Borough mayor Cllr Mandy Brar were also special guests at the event.

“They both expressed their happiness at being part of the event, praising the organisation.

“On behalf of the Senior Asian Ladies Yoga Group, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to them for joining us on such short notice.

“We truly appreciate their support,” Suki added.

The team are hoping to make next year’s event even larger, with a potential move to a bigger venue ‘with the support and co-operation of the community’.

Suki added: “A huge thank you to everyone involved – this event was a collective effort, and we’re grateful to all the volunteers.

“We would like to thank all the guests who joined us.

“Special thanks to our photographer, Kulvir Gill, who stepped in at the last minute to capture the memories.”