Europe-UK: Diwali 2017 celebrations in London – how to celebrate the Festival of Lights in the capital
Thousands of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and people from other communities attended Diwali in Trafalgar Square this weekend (Picture: Dinendra Haria/REX/Shutterstock)
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Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, is this Thursday, October 19 and there is a whole host of ways you can celebrate the event around the capital this week.
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The Trafalgar Square Diwali Festival party took place this Sunday, October 15 and attracted around 35,000 celebrants so no matter how you celebrate the festival it’s bound to be full of life. The sacred Hindu day of Diwali falls on October 19 this year as the date is determined by the position of the moon. Diwali is also called The Festival of Lights because people light copious amounts of candles and set off fireworks to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, but this festival also marks the Hindu New Year. There are plenty of places and events around London where you can celebrate the festival this year.
Diwali Festival in Trafalgar Square attracted 35,000 celebrants this weekend (Picture: Waring Abbott/Getty)
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Diwali Events in London for 2017
In west London on Thursday, the day of Diwali, the Neasden Temple has celebrations for The Festival of Lights all day long. There will be a fireworks display in Gibbons Park from 8:15pm to 8:45pm on Thursday night. The Neasden Temple will also hold events throughout the day on Friday, October 20 as Diwali signifies the beginning of the new year for some Hindus.
A fireworks display held near the Neasden Temple in Gibbons Park will take place again this year (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
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Head to Gibbons park this Thursday for Diwali fireworks at 8pm (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
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The 16th annual Diwali celebration will take place at The House of Commons on Monday, October 23 from 6pm to 8pm. British politician Bob Blackman teamed up with the Satkarma Humanitarian Youth Awakening Mission to bring the celebrations back to parliament for the 16th year. The celebrations will kick off in Committee Room 10 at 6pm. Those attending the event will be treated to talks on the theme of the festival this year, Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity.
(Picture: John Stillwell/PA Wire)
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Old Mary’s craft beer and cocktail bar invite you to celebrate the Diwali Festival of lights with them this Saturday night.
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Diwali night in Old Mary’s will kick off around 8pm until late.
Shree Swaminarayan Mandir in Kingsbury (Picture: Rob Stothard/Getty)
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There is a special live music and yoga event in West Hampstead this Wednesday ahead of Diwali featuring yoga, storytelling sweet treats and live music for The Festival of Lights.
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Tickets for the Diwali event will cost £22 and the event starts at 7pm.
Diwali celebrations at Hindu temple Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London (Picture: AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)
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Celebrate Diwali in central London with Diwali on Dalloway Terrace by Mira Manek. In honour of the Hindu festival, Dalloway Terrace will be hosting a special Diwali Supper Club with Mira Manek the food writer who recently released the cookbook Saffron Soul. Tickets for the event will be £45 which will allow you to gorge on the sharing plates of spiced Portobello Mushrooms, Okra, Cashew & Coconut Curry, Masala Grilled Aubergine and lots more. The Supper Club event will take place on Thursday, October 19 at 8:30pm.
Courtesy: Metro .com.uk.
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Deepavali is the most important of all Hindu festivals. It is celebrated by Hindus worldwide every year. In 2017, Deepavali in Singapore falls on Wednesday 18 October.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 18 Oct | Wed | Deepavali |
| 2018 | 6 Nov | Tue | Deepavali |
Deepavali is also known as the “Festival of Lights,” and the holiday abounds with all manner of colourful lights displays in public and numerous clay lamps to light up private homes. This is meant to symbolise the Hindu religious concept of “light conquering darkness.”
In some countries, most notably India, Deepavali goes on for as long as five days. In Singapore, most celebrate for only a single day. The date moves since it is based on the Hindu Calendar, but it generally comes between mid-October and mid-November.
What precisely in the Hindu legends that Deepavali commemorates is something of an open question, to which different answers are often given. Some say it celebrates the return of Rama to his throne after a 14-year banishment to the lonely forest lands by his evil stepmother. Others see the day as connected with the worship of Mahalakshmi, the Hindu goddess of light, good fortune, and prosperity. Most, however, take Deepavali’s background story to be the defeat of the wicked Narakasura by Krishna in an epic battle that ended in the people of Madura, India, welcoming the victor with lit up oil lamps.
Religious rituals for Hindus on Deepavali include waking up at dawn to bath in oil, dressing up in colourful clothing, and going to a local temple for prayers. At home, clay oil lamps are lit, doors are decked out with green mango leaves, and colourful designs called “rangoli,” which are made of dyed rice or flours, are drawn on the floor. Homes are also thoroughly cleaned and adorned with flowers and other colourful decorations.
Food also looms large in Deepavali celebrations. In Singapore, you can expect such dishes as deep-fried dough covered in syrup, rice-flour pancakes, lentil cakes, yogurts, and sweets made out of mung beans.
In the markets, the stalls will greatly multiply, and shoppers will crowd in from every side. Some of the main fare for sale will include: flower garlands, jewellery, and various souvenirs and crafts. There will also be many hand painters more than happy to draw flowers and other designs on your hands using locally made henna dyes.
The number one symbols of Deepavali in Singapore are the two large arches that span the Serangoon Road in the “Little India” district. The lights, bazaars, and celebrations in this part of town are unmatched in the remainder of Singapore. Nonetheless, with 10 percent of Singaporeans being of Indian descent, five percent being Hindu, and many others choosing to join in the celebrations, Deepavali is a big event throughout the whole city.
- See two famous Hindu temples along the Serangoon Road and their Deepavali lights and decorations. The first is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, built in 1855 and dedicated to the Hindu goddess “Kali.” Its imposing tower, doors covered in bells, and ceilings bedecked with countless statues of Hindu gods are quite a sight. The second is the Sri Mariamman Temple, which is the site of the annual Fire Walking Festival. The well trained participants walk over hot coals “to demonstrate the level of purity to which they have attained.” On the next day, the Silver Chariot Procession will take place at the same temple. That is, the chariot that bears the goddess Draupadai will start off from this temple on its way to Little India. Hindus believe this procession bestows blessings on the community.
- Next, you will almost certainly want to visit Deepavali Festival Village, a bazaar on Hastings Road that is the epitome of Deepavali shopping and has all manner of trinkets and unique souvenirs. It also has colourful clothing fit for donning during Deepavali and an endless array of food stalls where you can taste authentic Indian-Singaporean street food. The bazaar covers over 15,000 square feet and has an abundance of diverse stalls, so you can explore it literally for hours on end.
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