The Hindu festival of lights will be celebrated in Red Deer this upcoming weekend.
The Hindu Cultural Society of Central Alberta is hosting its annual Diwali celebration at Festival Hall in Red Deer at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. The organization has been hosting Diwali events since 2012.
"Diwali centres around themes of hope, prosperity and light overcoming darkness," explained Abhay Sonigara, general secretary of the society.
"It is celebrated all across the world, predominately in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries. It's a five-day festival and each day signifies different celebrations. Each day, people will typically light a lamp because it's about the victory of light over darkness. People will decorate their house, and exchange gifts and sweets. There's a lot of community involvement, with people visiting each other's houses. It's one of the biggest festivals of the year."
Diwali began on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 — it begins on the darkest day of the year on the Hindu calendar.
"Those days are very traditional, with people usually trying to celebrate with their near and dear ones. A community celebration is always held one week later," he said.
The Red Deer celebration has been growing every year, Sonigara noted, adding he expects to see as many as 275 attendees.
"It's growing both in terms of numbers and in terms of quality. A lot of people are moving from not just outside of the country, but also other parts of the country and into Central Alberta," said Sonigara.
"Events like this help the newcomers break the ice with people already over here. They get a chance to socialize and helps with social bonding — it's gives them a welcome feeling. That's what we're trying to achieve with events like this.
"It's very satisfying to see people have been enjoying what we've been doing (with the previous Diwali events). We always look forward to events like this. It's a celebration and it's always good to celebrate with others. Not everyone is able to go back to India to celebrate with their near and dear ones, so we try to offer a bit of the same feeling over here."
The main goal of the Hindu Cultural Society of Central Alberta is to build a temple in Red Deer.
"We have already bought land in April of this year. All of the profits generated from events like this will be put towards the temple-building fund," Sonigara explained.
For more information on the society or to purchase tickets to the Diwali celebration, visit www.reddeerhindusociety.com.
