Indian culture on display at Cranberry Township event
CRANBERRY TWP — Members of the Cranberry Area Diversity Network gathered together Monday, Nov. 6, inside the township municipal center to create a colorful piece of artwork, recognizing Diwali.
The holiday, also called Deepavali or the “Festival of Lights,” is celebrated by Hindu, Sikh and Jain people across the world for five days annually, in either October or November.
The Monday evening celebration included a rangoli (traditional Indian art) display and free Indian cuisine to those attending.
“We’re trying to create safe spaces for everyone to come,” said Kiran Cherlakola, a member of the IDEA team. “And enjoy each other’s company, as well as their customs and traditions. That’s a core part of our mission.”
The name Deepavali is derived from the Sanskrit words “deepa,” which means lamps, and “avali,” which means row. Together they combine to mean “row of lamps.” The event at the municipal center had a “row of lamps” set up near the food.
The festival usually includes passing out traditional Indian sweets and sharing gifts, in the case of the event, Indian cuisine such as samosa, a potato-and-pea-filled pastry, was given to attendees.
“We all come together, get food, especially a lot of sweets and savories,” said Srujana Kanjula, another member of the IDEA team.
Traditionally when celebrating, people will clean and decorate their homes with diyas (lamps) and rangoli. The celebration typically takes place on the new moon day based on the lunar calendar, when it is very dark outside. This year, it will fall on this Sunday. The IDEA team chose to throw the event on Monday to allow those who celebrate to spend the actual day with their families and friends.
“We all have parties,” said Cherlakola. “We all have parties. We’re all booked the next few weeks. That’s why we did this on Monday.”
The lighting of lamps and fireworks during the dark night symbolize the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Farmers celebrated the holiday during ancient times to promote a good harvest season, lighting diyas to kill harmful insects, and others celebrate the holiday as a religious one to pay respect to their gods.
At the event on Monday, the IDEA board, which has a few members of Indian descent, had children and guests who came help draw their rangoli in the middle of the municipal center. The rangoli is traditionally used to invite the Indian goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, into the house.
