The event was organised by and run by Ben Newman Wright, our Community Development Officer. It took place on the 8th of September 2017 at 7 pm at The Hawthorns Retirement Village.

Ben & his wife, Varsha, led the 1-hour talk. About 10 residents attended and were curious to know about the festival of lights that is celebrated by Hindus the world over. Ben started by pointing out that Diwali is never celebrated on the same date each year. Hindus follow the Lunar (Hindu) calendar and each year the date is different. But it is always in late October – early November. The festivity actually starts in the month preceding Diwali when many Hindus fast and pray to Goddess Durga for protection of their families from evil. This celebration is called Navratri (9 nights) and folk dancing takes prime stage.

Diwali is celebrated over 5 days – Dhan Teras, Kali Chaudas, Diwali, New Year and Bhai beej. The significance of each day was explained using appropriate props and slides (shown on the TV). An interactive session made it all the more interesting as some residents had very probing questions.

Ben & Varsha were pleased to answer all these queries. They were well supported by Veena and other members of the Multicultural Forum.