The City of 91原创 library held its first-ever Diwali celebration on Saturday, Nov. 4.

The annual program was started in 2004 at the Aldergrove library, moving to the Muriel Armason Library in 2008 until 2019 鈥� the celebration moving to an online format for the three years of the pandemic.

This year marked the 20th annual Diwali celebration.

鈥楧iwali鈥� means 鈥渁 row of lights,鈥� and is the most widely celebrated Indian festival which marks the victory of good over evil and the beginning of the New Year in India. It鈥檚 also called the 鈥楩estival of Lights.鈥�

鈥淭he main purpose of the multicultural celebrations such as Diwali, Chinese New Year, Vaisakhi, Cinco de Mayo, National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, [and] Christmas at the library was to create an awareness about different cultures and build a friendly community,鈥� explained Sarwan Singh Randhawa, library manager.

This year, the Punjab folk dance Bhangra was performed by Folk Star Arts Academy, and guests had the opportunity to learn some steps of the dance.

The Wild Moccasins also performed traditional dances for the audience, and taught some steps as well.

鈥淢ulticultural celebrations like Diwali offer local residents an opportunity to learn about other cultures and celebrate together as one community,鈥� Randhawa said.

鈥淚t helps in creating awareness and cultivating respect for all people, regardless of colour, gender, class, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnicity, or religious identity.鈥�

Plans are in the works for next year鈥檚 celebration, which library location is still to be decided.

Diwali occurs annually between late October and early November, with a five-day long festival. This year, Diwali鈥檚 start fell on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

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