It was Christmas for Hintonburg’s Indo community on Sunday as they celebrated Diwali festival at Somerset Square. There were a number of dignitaries in attendance including Mayor Larry O’Brien; Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa Central Yasir Naqvi; Police Chief Vern White and Deputy Chief Gilles Larochelle. There was a ceremony officiated by Indian Priest, Dev Vrat Sharma, while Ravi Philar served as M.C. of the event. An estimated 300 plus people from the Hintonburg area turned out to celebrate with the Indo community.
When Chief White and Deputy Chief Larochelle arrived, they ardently mingled with the crowd. “The strength of Hintonburg is what you see in the faces here today. There are about 50 different demographics. It’s like the United Nations here to support the Indian community in their celebration. That’s exactly what community is all about,” Chief White said.
The small square was modestly decorated with Christmas style lights on the trees as well as orange, green, yellow and white streamers blowing in the wind. Two canopies were setup: one for the ceremony and one for serving snacks and refreshments. The weather wasn’t ideal. It was windy and rain threatened all afternoon, but the enthusiastic crowd came prepared.
Some danced to modern Indian music while many others lined up to sample Indian snacks and sweets, caringly prepared by Indian Express – one of the sponsors of the event located across the street from the Somerset Square. There was no charge for the refreshments and snacks, but donations were accepted. The proceeds will be used to beautify Someset Square.
Inside Indian Express there was an impressive display of Indian sweets laid out on a massive table. There was constant foot traffic between the square and Indian Express, and many people commented on the vibrant colours and large variety of sweets in the display. Not to be confused with candies or chocolates, Indian sweets are more like small, desert pastries. At the door of Indian Express, a drummer thumped Indian rhythms on his traditional dohl drum.
Around 6:30 p.m., Philar announced the ceremony – known as a puja – would begin and asked the crowd to draw closer to the canopy. The priest – or pujari as he’s called – invited Chief White and MPP Naqvi, as well as Rakesh and Karuna Walia of Indian Express to assist him with the puja. Pujari Sharma performed some chants as he conducted the ceremony. By this time, it was drizzling, but the crowd looked on attentively.
Pujari Sharma explained Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night, when there is no moon. “The most significance of this festival is that we human beings spiritually can overcome our darkness or ignorance with knowledge of light,” He said.
Mayor O’Brien arrived shortly after the puja and gave a short speech. He then mingled with the crowd before crossing the street to Indian Express. Later, Mayor O’Brien, Chief White and Deputy Chief Larochelle socialized with members of Hintonburg Economic Development Committee.
The festivities ended with the lighting of sparklers. The adults seem to enjoy the fireworks as much as the children. As it began to rain heavier, the crowd slowly dissipated until all that was left were a few adults and a handful of children running around with wet streamers.
Diwali is a major, five day festival in India. Although it was originally a Hindu celebration dating back 4,000 years, “it’s perhaps the one festival in India where everybody comes together,” explained Philar. Diwali is also observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world. But each group has its own religious reasons for celebrating at this time of the year. Each reason is backed by its own ancient legend
Best known as the festival of lights, Diwali’s central theme is the victory of good over evil or light over darkness. Some of its traditions are similar to western Christmas. In fact, some people refer to it as ‘Indian Christmas’. It’s a special time for children as sweets and fireworks are a big part of the festivities. “As a kid, I couldn’t wait for Diwali,” Philar said. “It’s a time when you could be at your most mischievous,” he added. Much like Christmas, there’s a great atmosphere of peace and good will. So much so that parents may hesitate to punish their children.
In Indian culture, this is when business start a new fiscal year. Many people will choose this time to start a new business as well. It’s also a time when people visit relatives and friends, and families buy new clothes. It’s a time when people with grievances will offer each other sweets and try to patch things up. It’s a time when people do a post monsoon season cleanup, and decorate their houses with lots small clay lamps. Infact, the name Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit word Deepawali, which means rows or lines of lamps.
Those involved with producing the event were pleased with the turn out. They wish to thank Hintonburg Economic Development Committee; Wellington West Business Improvement Area; Beament Green Lawyers; Advantage Audio Visual Rentals; Carleton Tavern; Dirienzo & Saikaley Automotive; Dovercourt Community Centre; Adam’s Apple Cafe; Parkdale Market; Mirch Masala Radio (CHIN); Beacon Lite; and Indian Express for their sponsorship. The organizers are looking forward to doing it all again next year. “Every year we’re going to make it bigger and bigger,” Walia said.
Posted on October 18, 2009
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