'Festival of Lights'- Diwali celebrations illuminate parts of northern Ontario

Candles, fireworks, and oil lamps will illuminate celebrations across northern Ontario this weekend for Diwali, India's biggest and most important holiday. 

The "Festival of Lights" is celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide. Reflecting India's multicultural and diverse community, the celebrations and stories behind the event are equally varied.

Chandrima Chakraborty, a professor of cultural studies at McMaster University, explains that Deepavali, or Diwali, derives its name from the row of clay lamps that many Indians light on the day.

The most popular legend associated with Diwali comes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. It marks the day when Rama, along with his wife Sita, and brother Lakshmana, returns to the Kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. During this time, Sita is kidnapped by the powerful demon king Ravana.

"Ram now stands for light and goodness, [comes] back to Ayodhya and [creates] what is known as Ram Rajya or the Kingdom of Ram, which is a reign of peace, harmony, justice and equity," explains Chakraborty, noting that Diwali signifies the victory of light over darkness.

In Sikhism, Diwali is known as Bandi Chhor Divas. It commemorates the day when their sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Singh Ji and 52 princes were released from imprisonment by a Mughal emperor. When the Guru and the princes returned home, everyone lit candles to celebrate their freedom.

"In terms of what is Diwali, it does not have one story or one narrative. It is celebrated differently across India depending on which region you are from and which tradition you belong to," said Chakraborty.

The lighting of lamps, candles and fireworks during Diwali represents hope, joy and the collective spirit of communities coming together in celebration.

How do we celebrate Diwali?

There are various ways to celebrate the day, including food, gifts, prayers, fireworks and sweets.

Chakraborty says she celebrates by creating Rangoli, an artwork created using dry rice flour, coloured sand, flower petals or coloured rocks.

"As a child, I was responsible for trying to entice Lakshmi into the house. It was about drawing Rangoli throughout the house and leaving all the doors open, having the house lit, hoping that Lakshmi will stop by and pause at our house and not pass us by," said Chakraborty, referring to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. 

Dr. Prashant Jani of the Vedic Cultural Centre in Thunder Bay says his earliest Diwali memories are of his mother preparing food. 

"When I was a kid, Diwali was the day on which we get up early in the morning, like say 4:00, take a shower and then go to the temple to worship and then come back and enjoy the delicious sweets. Our mother used to prepare a variety of food items," said Jani. 

"Diwali means lots of fireworks. All over India, you could see hundreds of fireworks."

Many temples invite members of the public to attend local celebrations, learn more about the traditions, and enjoy Diwali food. Dr. Jani notes that the Vedic Cultural Centre is hosting a celebration and prayer on Saturday, November 2, at 6 p.m.

"We are cooking more than 200 varieties of food items. There are dramas, dances, quiz competitions, singing competitions, fireworks, lots of fun activities as well as a meet and greet of all the families and friends," he said.

Karanbir Singh Badesha, a spokesperson for the Sikh temple in Greater Sudbury, says a large community feast is being hosted at both gurudwaras in the city on Friday night. 

"We have a common prayer for the welfare of the community around 9:00 p.m. After, people can have a community dinner, which is going to be served… with different cuisine, but vegetarian," said Badesha.

Shaminder Parmar, the creator of the Diwali 101 course at an Edmonton recreation centre, encourages community engagement among neighbours. 

"We get questions like, how can I participate? Or if I wanted to give a gift to my neighbours, is this OK? Or, would someone be offended if I dressed up in traditional Indian clothing to celebrate Diwali if I'm not part of the culture? Those are the kinds of important and fun conversations we want to be seeing and having within the community," said Parmar.