Even though it is early for American holiday celebrations, a group of Ohio University students is ready to celebrate their New Year's Day this weekend.
The Indian Student Association, sponsored by the International Student Union and Student Senate, will present the Diwali Celebration, a major Hindu festival in India, 6 p.m. Sunday in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
Diwali is a festival of lights that all people in India celebrate by lighting up the whole house with diyas, lamps that use the oil made from cow's milk, said Eroica Soans, vice president of the ISA.
According to Mahipal Naresh, president of the ISA, Diwali is a four-day event in India to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ram that killed a demon during his exile. The final day, which will be celebrated at OU, falls on the first day of the Indian lunar calendar, she said.
The festival will begin with dancing, singing and a fashion show in which Indian students will showcase the different outfits of India. Children from the Indian community in Athens will perform a short skit to explain why Indians celebrate Diwali.
After the festivities, homemade Indian cuisines will be served at a dinner in the Baker University Center Ballroom. The food will be prepared in an Indian family-owned restaurant in Columbus. A dance party will follow the meal.
Soans said the event is a very good location to meet other Indians and feel like I'm back home.
The tickets for the dinner are available for $5 at the office of the International Student and Faculty Service in Scott Quad. The performance is free.
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Keita Mochizuki
