Belfast's Indian community will come together later on Monday to celebrate the festival of lights, Diwali.
This year, Diwali falls on Monday, October 24 and the celebration takes place after the conclusion of harvest, coinciding with the new moon.
Diwali is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik. It usually takes place on the day of the new moon or Amavasy, which is holy to Hindus and considered the darkest night of the year.
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Belfast will play host to Diwali 2022 on Monday night with ladies from the Belfast Asian Women’s Academy (BAWA) taking part in a Flash Mob at 8pm in front of City Hall, which will be illuminated red and yellow to mark the occasion.
Ana Chandran, chair and founder of BAWA, women from across Asia who have made the made the city their home, told Belfast Live: "Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by multiple communities - Hindu, Sikhs and Jains - around the world and it symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
"To mark Diwali, people wear their finest clothes, decorate the interior and exterior of their homes, perform worship ceremonies to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity and good fortune. We also light fireworks and participate in family feasts where sweets (Mithai) and gifts are shared."
BAWA will also host a Saree Curry Night for the wider community to celebrate Diwali on Sunday, November 6th from 2-4pm at Sandy Row Community Centre.
How long does the Festival of Lights last and what are the other events?
The annual celebrations last five days and mark the start of the Hindu New Year. It generally means different things for different people depending on one’s religion and beliefs.
Known predominantly as a Hindu festival, Diwali is celebrated by many religions and many regions in India for varying reasons. In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day.
This year, those five days are October 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, although some Diwali events are taking place outside of those dates.
Diwali honours the return of Lord Rama and Sita to Ayodhya after their 14-year exile. Sikhs meanwhile commemorate the release of the sixth guru Hargobind Singh from prison in 1619.
As for followers of Jainism, it is celebrated as the moment their founder Lord Mahavira attained a state of eternal bliss or nirvana. Diwali also marks the day Goddess Durga destroyed a demon called Mahisha, and is widely associated with Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune.
People prepare for the event by cleaning and decorating their homes, with the third day (the darkest day of the month) seeing families dress up and light up their homes with oil lamps. Traditional Indian sweets and feasts can be enjoyed, while families give each other gifts and come together in prayer.
Many towns organise community parades and fairs, with accompanying music and dance performances.
Although Diwali commences on October 24, five days of celebrations take place before, during and after. These include:
- October 22, 2022: Dhanteras
- October 23, 2022: Naraka Chaturdashi, also known as Choti Diwali
- October 24, 2022: Diwali
- October 25, 2022: Govardhan Puja, also known as Gudi Padwa
- October 26, 2022: Bhai Dooj
Why is Diwali known as the Festival of Lights?
Diwali is an important festival which is said to commemorate the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.” This is why the event is described as the Festival of Lights.
The name also stems from the word Diwali, with it derived from the Sanskrit word 'dipavali', which means 'row of lights'.
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