Ashmita Nandi (right) and Aaron Joarder (left) read a piece of Hindu scripture called Bhagavad Gita to kick off the night's events, Nov. 11, 2022 at Festival Hall in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

festival of lights

Diwali event lights up Red Deer’s Festival Hall

Nov 12, 2022 | 11:29 AM

There was prayer, there was dance, plus plenty of delicious food and fun on Friday night in Red Deer, as the Hindu Cultural Society of Central Alberta (HCSCA) celebrated Diwali.

Diwali was celebrated globally on Oct. 24, and is typically a multi-day observance, but minor booking issues caused the local ticketed event to be pushed back a couple weeks, organizers explain.

“Diwali is all about victory of good over evil. It’s also known as a festival of lights,” explains Dharmesh Goradia, HCSCA director.

“Why Diwali is celebrated goes back a few thousand years. There’s an Indian God or Hindu King named Lord Rama, and on what we now call Diwali, it’s said he came back from a 14-year exile which was wrongfully given to him. To obey the rules of society, he went into exile, faced lots of challenges, and then came back — and that’s why we celebrate.”

From paneer to halwa in the dinner line, to a magic show and game show on stage at Festival Hall, Diwali was celebrated well, late or not.

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(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Goradia says for individuals, there is much traveling to the temple around Diwali.

The HCSCA is actively working to get to the point where it can build a Hindu Cultural Activity Centre and Temple (also known as a Mandir) in or near Red Deer. This would negate the need for worshippers to travel to Calgary or Edmonton.

“Right now, India is the biggest immigrant-sending country to Canada. Diwali is the biggest and most celebrated festival of India,” says Goradia. “These are the reasons why it is important for central Albertans to know about it; doing so can reduce apprehensions and even stop racism because people can better understand how our community, or any other community, is.”

In the last five years, India was the third-largest country of origin for immigrants arriving in Red Deer, with 250 total.

The 2021 federal census also showed 246,995 people from India immigrated to Canada from 2016 to 2021 — more than any other country and the only one to eclipse the 200,000 mark.

More information about the HCSCA is at reddeerhindusociety.com.

MORE: Immigrants now make up 16.4% of Red Deer’s population