Happy Diwali! For five glorious days, millions of people across the globe gather together to dance and sing through illuminated streets, covered in bright lights and intricate floral decorations to celebrate this spectacular holiday.
Diwali is known as the festival of lights and symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, or light over dark. Today people celebrate by exchanging gifts, feasting on mithai (traditional sweets), staging lively dance performances, igniting fireworks, and adorning households with rangoli (floor art made with ground chalk and colored rice). The crown jewel of festivities, however, is the lighting of diyas on the third day of the festival. Diwali is a time for reflection and celebration. So here’s a look at some unexpected places around the world that where the Diwali celebrations push the boundaries of the word “festive.”
United Kingdom
Pack your bags, book your flights to London and, of course, don’t forget your dandiyas. South Asians are the second-largest immigrant population in Great Britain. People from all walks of life and different religions appreciate and celebrate this joyous occasion, indulging in lavish feasts, shopping and of course magnificent parades! Over the past decade, national and civic leaders have attended Diwali festivals and today the city of Leicester hosts some of the largest Diwali celebrations outside of India.
Trinidad and Tobago
In Trinidad and Tobago, Diwali is a community event celebrated throughout all of the islands. A major component that makes the Islands’ version of Diwali unlike any other is as event called Diwali Nagar, or “Village of the Festival of Lights,” which takes place in Chaguanas, Trinidad. Expect a night jampacked with entertainment, as the stage lights up with live dance and music performances, that are so grand that you’ll be wondering if you stepped into a Bollywood Movie.
The stages also feature folk theatre performances featuring skits and plays depicting Lord Ram’s story and many other scenes from Hindu epics. Thousands of people participate in the island-wide festivities and after a week of feasting, dancing, singing, dressing up and lighting diyas, the celebrations are completed with fireworks, ending Diwali with a bang!
Australia
With large Indian populations, Sydney and Melbourne see massive Diwali celebrations, that only grow in both scale and arrangements with each passing year. Most notably, Diwali at Federation Square in Melbourne has become the largest celebration in Australia. From a magnificent display of fireworks to nonstop live entertainment complete with both classical Indian and Bollywood dances, Diwali in Australia is a grand celebration!
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Fiji
Known as Deepavali, the Fiji version of the Diwali festival is a widely celebrated event. The Deepavali celebration starts a whole week before the big day. One distinguishing feature of Fijian Deepavali is the multicultural aspect; Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Muslims all take part in Deepavali rituals and traditions, and celebrate the holiday with friends and family, regardless of their religious associations and practices. So, if you ever thought about booking cheap international flights to Fiji…well, what are you waiting for?
Where are you celebrating the Festival of Lights this year? Let us know in the comments below!