On Oct. 22 the Indian Cultural Association, hosted a Diwali festival in the SUB ballroom from6 p.m.to11 p.m.

The celebration of Indian New Year was a high-energy event, packed with food, music, dancing and an Indian fashion show. Many Indian-American students were happy to bring one of their traditional cultural experiences to the Wilkes community.

Diwali is one of the most important Hindu holidays.  Sometimes called the “Festival of Lights,” it is the equivalent of Indian New Year according to Diwalifestival.org.  Participants celebrating this holiday seek blessings from the Hindu God of wealth, Lakshmi.  Those who celebrate the holiday often wear bright traditional Indian dress. This year’s Diwali theme at Wilkes was an Indian wedding.

Freshman undeclared sciences major Himil Desai, who lived inIndiauntil age 13, says that Wilkes’s Diwali celebration was considerably authentic.  Some of the food that was served included simosas, pani puri and jalebis.

“My favorite part of Diwali is the way it brings people together,” Desai said.

Freshman international studies major Kayla Rooney attended the festival and had a good time with fellow students in her First Year Foundations class, Cross Cultural Dialogue.

“It’s great that our small university can provide students with such diverse culture experiences,” Rooney said.  “I feel like I’ve been exposed to a lot of different cultural traditions so far this year and I love it.”