A sea of ​​color into the professional future

37 young professionals from the Bergisches Land Painters and Decorators Guild received their journeyman's certificates. Afterwards, the celebrations became colorful: For the first time, the guild celebrated the graduation with a Holi festival.

Paints and varnishers use color in their everyday work. At this year's graduation ceremony of the Bergisches Land Painters' and Decorators' Guild, however, color was more than just a tool: it symbolized community, new beginnings, and the future . At the Burscheid Vocational Training Center, 37 newly qualified journeymen and women celebrated their successful completion of their apprenticeships. Around 140 guests attended the event. A subsequent Holi festival provided an unusually colorful finale.

Color as a symbol of new beginnings and community: At the guild's first Holi festival, the newly qualified journeymen and women celebrated together with their families and guests. Photo: © Kreishandwerkerschaft Bergisches Land/Felix Leng

Master craftsman Willi Reitz praised the achievements of the young professionals and emphasized the high quality of training offered by the dual system. With their acquired knowledge and skills, the graduates now have a wide range of career paths open to them.

Holi festival as a symbol of new beginnings and unity

Holi is a traditional Hindu spring festival celebrated primarily in India and Nepal. It is known for the playful throwing and sprinkling of colorful powder at one another . The festival connects, among other things, the beginning of spring with joy, community, and renewal. The painters' and decorators' guild adopted this symbolism for their graduation ceremony: the colors represented the successful completion of their apprenticeships and the start of a new chapter in their professional lives.

A shared achievement: The newly qualified journeymen and women celebrate their successful completion of their apprenticeships with Master Craftsman Willi Reitz (center) at the first Holi Festival of the Bergisches Land Painters and Decorators Guild. Photo: © Bergisches Land District Craftsmen's Association/Felix Leng

After the official ceremony, the grounds were transformed into a sea of ​​color at the guild's first Holi Festival. Guests, family members, and the newly qualified journeymen and women celebrated together. Master craftsman Willi Reitz, who introduced the idea for the Holi Festival to the graduation ceremony, was pleased with how it went: "Where could a Holi Festival, with its significance, be more fitting than at a painters' graduation ceremony? With their successful completion of their apprenticeships, the 37 young professionals are embarking on their careers. The Holi Festival provides the perfect finale – colorful, joyful, and full of optimism." Reitz envisions the Holi Festival becoming a regular feature of the Bergisches Land Painters' and Decorators' Guild's graduation ceremonies in the future.

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Source: Bergisches Land District Craftsmen's Association

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