DIWALI FEST
‘Diwali’ or ‘Deepavali’ often referred to as the ‘Festival of Lights’ is celebrated all over the world by people of Indian origin. Drawing on traditions, epics and simple truths of life experienced by civilizations past, the festival celebrates ‘the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair’. Although celebrated in a myriad ways by people from different regions, the central spiritual significance remains common. The burning of ‘diyas’ (lamps or candles), prayers, family feasts, sweets and fireworks are common activities and elements during the celebration making it one of the ‘happiest’ festivals.
Irvine is home to a large community of people of Indian origin who observe festivities on this day. Ektaa Center’s mission is to promote an awareness and understanding of the culture of India. We believe that this festival period is a perfect opportunity for people of the City of Irvine and the greater Orange County area to learn about the Asian Indian community. This will be our 11th year of this festival that has progressively grown to become the premier Indian festival in Orange County with over 7000 attendees. Besides the City of Irvine Community Services being a partner, we are supported by several individual and business sponsors
Diwali Fest will be an evening event featuring vendor / resource booths, food vendors, cultural experiences and performances. We want to bring the community together at the OC Great Park and have them explore Indian culture through food, access to products and services, community interaction and artistic and cultural performances. Fitting centerpiece for this festival will be a ‘Lamp Lighting Ceremony’ when we will have everyone including City officials participating by lighting a ‘diya’ (lamp) – symbolic of lighting up their life by new knowledge and experiences. We want people leaving the evening with a taste of Indian culture and knowledge of resources available for them to learn and experience more.
