THERE was an explosion of colour when a Basingstoke community came together to celebrate the biggest festival in the Hindu and Sikh calendar.
Scores of people from the Telugu Association of Basingstoke arrived at The Vyne School to watch fireworks for the Diwali celebrations.
The night also saw children taking part in dances as more than 100 people from across the area joined hundreds of millions of people across the world for the Hindu New Year.
Women from the community also took part in traditional dances on Saturday at the Vyne Road venue.
Sreeni Vavilala, chairman of the association said: “The main thing is making sure that our children are aware of our culture and our traditions and that they continue those traditions.”
Diwali is the biggest and the brightest festival in India and spiritually signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
Festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu calendar which is between mid-October and mid-November.
Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in their best outfit, light up lamps and candles – called diyas – inside and outside their homes and participate in family prayers called puja.
Traditionally Diwali is also the financial New Year so business leaders sort out their finances and receive blessings for their books.
Do you have pictures of community events you’d like to see in the Gazette? Please email your photos and reports to newsdesk@basingstokegazette.co.uk
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