ROHAN ARORA, Editor-in-Chief—
DISA held its annual Diwali celebration at the Open House on Saturday, Oct. 23.
The celebration is a fall staple for DISA, which has not had the opportunity to celebrate in style in the past year like it did this year.
Like years before COVID, this year the celebration was at the Open House, which is the center for religious and spiritual studies. The festivities opened with a first year member of DISA singing some songs while playing his acoustic guitar. Attendees crowded around the main study room and sat on the floor as he performed.
Following this intimate performance, members of DISA performed a choreographed dance to a medley of familiar bollywood songs, and a full menu of Indian cuisine was served after, including chicken tikka masala, paneer, and lassi!
After feasting on the buffet of Indian food that was offered, the celebrators convened on the porch outside of the house to light sparklers, a very common custom when celebrating Diwali, the “festival of lights”.
For many of the Indian international students, Diwali is a great time to not only celebrate their culture, but also to celebrate the campus they now call home. As Anish Gurjar ‘24 said, “It’s about putting the evil behind, making new friends, making new relationships [and] strengthening the wants I have.” Tanvi Shegaonkar ‘25 attended the Denison event for the first time, but has celebrated Diwali in the past. “[the] community comes together… It’s full of dance and sparklers and everything. I really enjoy it every year,” she said.
Diwali is a major festival celebrated by members of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and other religions, and usually lasts for five days in mid-October or mid-November, during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika. Both a religious and cultural holiday, it is celebrated by millions of people of various faiths and across many borders.
Customarily, participants light small candles, called diyas, to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Participants will also light sparklers, give out sweets(mithai) and spend time with family or friends.
In some Hindu folklore, the festival is said to mark the day Lord Rama returned from 14 years of exile, after defeating Ravana.
