Diwali
Diwali or the 'Festival of Light' is the most important of Hindu religious festivals, but it is also celebrated by Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains across the globe. Rows of Diyas (cotton-like string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with coconut oil) are lit all over people's houses to signify the victory of good over the evil within an individual, and celebrations are often accompanied by feasting and fireworks. It is also customary during this festival to take oil baths early in the morning, wear new silk clothes, and exchange sweets and snacks amongst friends. The festival lasts for four or five days and falls in October or November each year. In the Hindu religion it is seen by businessmen as the start of the new financial year as Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune and wealth, is worshipped.
Celebrations at Mount Pleasant
Diwali has been celebrated in Mount Pleasant for over 20 years and is the biggest of the Hindu Associations celebrations there. Members of the Hindu Association Committee are responsible for organising the Diwali celebrations. The Committee members decide a date and time for the celebrations depending on work patterns, other events in Mount Pleasant and holidays. Since a lot of Hindus take time off during Diwali, it is not normally celebrated at the same time as the actual festival. The Committee members collect money from all the worshippers at Mount Pleasant, and organise prayer sessions, catering and decorations for the day.
The celebrations start with Pujas (prayers) for the God of the festival and Mantras (sacred verse) being chanted by the worshippers in the Hindu temple.
The food is then offered and blessed by the Gods first (as shown in the images below) before it is offered to all staff working at Mount Pleasant that day.
A room in Mount Pleasant near the canteen is used for the celebrations, and as many as 800-900 people from all cultures and religions share this food.
The table decorations are called Rangoli (painting the table with rainbow colours). A few ladies from the Hindu Association decorated the table with Diyas (oil lamps), petals, sweets and coloured food stuffs.
The decorations were beautiful and a lot of hard work had gone into them. A few of the Diyas were kindly donated to the BPMA collections.
The food was cooked by an external catering company but was served by members of the Hindu Association. The food consisted of samosas, mixed vegetable curry, nans and a sweet dish, and was greatly enjoyed by all who attended!
More Information
- Illustrations
The food is blessed
The blessing of the food
Table decorations
The Om symbol in rangoli
The Hindu Association serve food
Association members enjoy the day
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