Students are invited to let the light of friendship and festivity illuminate their lives at the Saturday celebration of Diwali, sponsored by the University chapter of Students of the Indian Subcontinent.
Diwali is celebrated as a festival of lights and represents the triumph of good over evil. Veena Howard, a part-time faculty member teaching Hinduism at the University, said Diwali is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in Hinduism. She added that Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word “deepawali,” meaning “row of lights.”
“This festival symbolizes the idea that you must keep the light shining in your heart even when you’re going into darkness,” Howard said.
Although Diwali was actually observed Monday, SIS is holding an event in honor of the festival Saturday at the Student Recreation Center Bonus Room at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for non-students.
Kartick Narayan, SIS public relations officer, said Diwali honors the return of Lord Rama, a prominent figure in Hindu beliefs, to his kingdom after a 14-year exile. As the story goes, the people under Rama’s rule rejoiced at his return, welcoming him back by filling the city with light from burning lamps.
In modern times, Hindus honor the folklore surrounding the festival through feasting, prayers, fireworks and gatherings with family and friends.
“Diwali is a joyous occasion in India,” Narayan said. “I get homesick every time of the year it comes around.”
Narayan said SIS will keep the event as authentic as possible. Taste of India will provide traditional Indian food , and the dishes will be mostly vegetarian. Bharti Sanghani, a freshman and member of SIS, said this aspect of the celebration is important because feasting is a big part of the Diwali festival in India.
Other activities planned for Saturday include music and dancing, with most of the people in attendance wearing traditional Indian clothing.
Decorating with lights is also important to Diwali. In India, Narayan said people would light traditional clay lamps with cotton wicks and place them all over the house. Fireworks are another important aspect of the Diwali festival. However, Narayan said that the celebration on Saturday won’t be able to follow exactly Indian tradition because of fire safety rules.
SIS President Gibran AzamAli said the group won’t be able to have lamps or fireworks at the celebration, but it is planning to decorate with stringed lights and tea light candles encased in decorated glass candle holders.
About 150 to 200 people are expected to attend Saturday’s event, AzamAli said. He added that because Diwali is a festival and not a stringent religious holiday, SIS encourages people who don’t belong to the Hindu faith to attend the celebration, he added.
“We’re giving the people in the community a chance to come together and celebrate,” AzamAli said.
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