The Marine Park Alliance (MPA) began its Festival of Lights series, with attendees gathering at the Carmine Carro Community Center, 3000 Fillmore Avenue, on Sunday, November 1st, to observe the first event in the series: Diwali.
Organized by Assemblywoman Jaime Williams and State Senator Roxanne Persaud in collaboration with the MPA, attendees engaged in Diwali cultural traditions with music, dances and prayers.
Diwali is a religious holiday observed worldwide by religious/cultural communities such as Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, as well as the South Asian diaspora. The holiday is commemorated as a festival of light, with an emphasis on light, as candles or oil lamps, known as diyas, are lit in abundance, symbolizing light’s (good) triumph over darkness. In Hindu tradition, families pray to the goddess Lakshmi, associated with wealth and success, to bring good fortune into their lives for the upcoming year.
Diwali is observed this year from Friday, November 6th, to Tuesday, November 10th, and Diwali itself is celebrated on Sunday, November 8th.
“Assemblymember Williams and I want everybody to understand what cultures are part of our community, and that’s why we host this event every year with Williams spearheading it,” Persaud said. “We have the pandit and kids who talk about what does Diwali means to them. We’re going to see dances and music being played. Diwali is about bringing light and love.”
Pandit Ravi Doobay, a cleric at the Hindu temple Maha Lakshmi Mandir, curated the ceremony. This year’s Diwali celebration focused on youth and their connection to Diwali. From young children to teenagers, they shared how much they valued Diwali, as it lets them embrace their culture through music, worship and dancing.
“By giving youth an opportunity to express themselves freely in culture, they become an image of what the future can be for America, celebrating an ancient culture,” Doobay said. “The celebration of Diwali is not only confined to Hindus, because every other culture celebrates a form of light, and I’m hoping that this will build a foundation upon where we can have a cross-cultural celebration, where we express ourselves freely without the limitation of dogmas.”
For more information on MPA Festival of Lights events, visit MarinePark.org/events.
