The South Asian Students Association hosted its Diwali celebration on Nov. 11 at the Woods Brown Amphitheater, celebrating the holiday known as the Festival of Lights.
“There is a religious way to celebrate [Diwali], and there’s the not-religious way,” Roshni Sharma, a freshman in the School of International Service and the publicist for the club, said. “It’s really just about prosperity, and it brings family and friends together.”
In Hindu tradition, Diwali is a five-day celebration for a god that returned from exile. However, many people, including Christians and Muslims from countries like India, Pakistan, and Nepal, treat the event like a New Year celebration.
On the night before Diwali, people clean and decorate their homes. During the actual festivities, participants wear new clothes, exchange gifts, hold a feast and light diyas, or lamps and candles. In religious celebration, families pray for wealth and prosperity, Sharma said.
The small group of students present at the SASA event danced to Indian music and drew colorful floral designs with chalk, known as rangoli. Some students also wore traditional clothing to the club’s celebration.
Sharma said that the club held the event to celebrate the holiday and also teach students more about South Asian culture.
Going forward, the club hopes to attract new members, and in the spring, SASA will host Holi on the Quad. Holi, another important holiday in South Asia, celebrates spring and is known as the Festival of Colors. SASA will hold an event in March following the tradition of throwing colored powder at participants to celebrate. Organizers also plan to hold more formal discussions about South Asian culture and events.
“We hold these events because we just want students to know that we’re here,” Sharma said. “You don’t have to be South Asian or follow a specific religion to be at our events.”
