It’s that time of the year again, end of the year celebrations begin from multicultural organizations on campus. One notable celebration is the university’s annual Diwali Celebration.
Diwali, also known as Deepvali and the Hindu Festival of Lights, is one of India’s most celebrated holidays, alongside Holi (Festival of Colors) and Eid al-Fitr (celebrated at the end of Ramadan). It is a time of joy, family gatherings, feasts and spiritual reflection. Diwali celebrated the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
Diwali does not have a fixed day, instead following the Lunar calendar, and usually being celebrated on the “darkest day,” on the night of the new moon. The date typically falls on the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina.
Some traditions of Diwali include: the cleaning of homes, as it invites the goddess of prosperity (Lakshimi) into the home and lighting diyas (candles) and fireworks to make it known to the gods that the people are celebrating. Another tradition is the preparation of special foods such as laddus (balls of flour and sugar) and samosas which are savory snacks filled with meat, vegetables and potatoes.
This year’s celebration took place in the David A. Beckerman Recreation Center, kickstarting International Student Week on Nov. 15. Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the celebration lasted from the afternoon until well into the night, finishing at 9 p.m.. However, the event was highly anticipated, with the lobby filling up with attendees as early as 3:00 p.m.
Welcoming the students was Dorothy Classen, international student life advisor, as the students and staff waited for the doors to open into the area where the show would take place. Beginning the ceremony was an invocation song by a trio of Indian Student Council students.
Leadership from the organizations involved gave speeches praising the efforts made by the students in organizing the event, the director of graduate and international student life, Steve Macchiarolo said “I know our students have worked very hard to try and bring and replicate that type of program here tonight.”
Among the attendees were president Jens Frederiksen along with his family and the vice president of student affairs Ophelia Rowe-Allen.
Classen gave a speech to the crowd, thanking students for letting her be a part of this celebration and said “Thank you for pulling me in and insisting I removed my shoes. Thank you for showing me how to do Pooja and teaching me how to dance Garba. I know so much more about Hindu holidays like Diwali…”.
Students prepared many special events, showcasing their talents such as dancing, singing and playing instruments to culturally significant songs. As the night went on, many got up from their seats and danced along with the performers.
