The glow of oil lamps and paper lanterns fill the streets to welcome Lord Ram back from his 14-year exile and his defeat of the demon Ravan during Diwali.
Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is a five-day celebration and one of the most important holidays for Hindus.
Although the festival isn’t officially until Nov. 13 this year, the Indian Students Association will be celebrating Saturday and Sunday with performances, food, dancing and a skit on Ramayan.
Ramayan is a Hindu epic that tells how Diwali came to be, said Yashashree Jadhav, a member of the Indian Students Association and a junior studying astrophysics.
“The festival celebrates the triumph over good and evil, and the skit explains that,” Jadhav said.
Each day of the festival has a different story and set of things to do, said Sneha Pandya, a member of the Indian Students Association and a doctoral student studying physics.
“One day celebrates Lord Krishna; another tells the story of Lakshmi,” Pandya said. “But each day is a celebration of Diwali.”
For the first time, the International Student Union executive committee is participating in the Diwali festivities by doing a kickoff traditional Indian dance.
“We were approached by Bhakti (Shah, president of the Indian Students Association) and asked if we wanted to dance,” said Emily Weaver, secretary for ISU and a sophomore studying global studies. “As an executive member, we like to show support, and now we’re here.”
The opportunity to perform for the festival celebration shows the event is not exclusive, Weaver said.
“Some people get intimidated and think they aren’t welcome,” she said. “And that’s not the truth, in any respect of the word.”
To stay true to the festival of lights and follow fire code, LED candles will be on every table, said Shah, a graduate student studying education administration.
The Pre-Diwali event Saturday night will consist of dancing, Bollywood music and a performance of Dandiya Raas, a traditional Indian folk dance.
“We wanted to introduce a new part of the culture to students,” Shah said. “We want to have a cross-cultural flash mob of sorts.”
About 270 out of 300 tickets have been sold for Sunday night.
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