Hope festival will be city’s biggest yet

By The Star - Simon Henderson | Posted: Monday Nov 04, 2024

A cultural group aims to create the largest Diwali celebration the city has ever seen.

Hope festival will be city’s biggest yet | Otago Daily Times Online News

The Dunedin Indian Association hopes more than 1000 people will attend the Dunedin Diwali festival on Saturday, November 9 from 3pm to 8pm at the Edgar Centre.

Organising committee member Dr Rohit Jain said Diwali, the festival of light, was a huge annual event in India as well as other countries.

Everyone was invited to enjoy the festival, which would be organised like a fair, allowing people to come and go as they please.

Diwali is celebrated by everyone, in much the same way that Christmas brings together various communities in New Zealand.

"Irrespective of what caste, creed, religion you belong to, Diwali is for everyone to come and have fun."

India has a majority Hindu population, but Diwali is also celebrated by other major religions, each for different reasons.

For Jains, Diwali is celebrated as the day Lord Mahavir, the last Tirthankara, or ford-maker, attained nirvana, signifying the attainment of complete knowledge and enlightenment.

For Sikhs, it commemorates the release of Guru Hargobind and 52 other princes from imprisonment by Emperor Jahangir, symbolising the triumph of freedom and justice.

Hindus celebrate the return of the deity Lord Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and his wife Sita from a 14-year exile, emerging victorious from being captured by the demon king Ravana.

Regardless of the ancient reasons, Diwali was a celebration of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, Dr Jain said.

The family-friendly event is free for all to attend and will feature sweets and street food, a cultural fashion show, henna art, saree draping, interactive games, as well as music and dance.

No alcohol will be served.

Although Dunedin has hosted Diwali events before, the association aims to create a larger-scale event that will showcase all aspects of Indian culture.

The association has worked to connect with other local groups to ensure a wide range of cultural regions are represented from all corners of the Indian subcontinent.

The event has been made possible by sponsors the Rout Group, Bikanervala and Swift Mortgages Dunedin as well as funding from the Dunedin City Council’s community event grant and the Ministry for Ethnic Communities’ development fund.