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Thousands of people gathered at Trafalgar Square in central London to celebrate the annual Diwali event, also attended by mayor.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, a Pakisani-origin man, attended a massive event marking the celebration of Diwali — a festival of light and colour — at Trafalgar Square in the central part of the city on Sunday.
The event is organised every year by the Diwali in London Committee and the mayor of London.
Thousands of people of all ages, decked up in multicoloured clothes, gathered at the Square and celebrated ahead of the occasion important for Hindus.
What did London mayor say about Diwali?
“It was amazing to see Trafalgar Square filled with thousands of Londoners celebrating the Festival of Lights. I wish a very happy Diwali to our Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities as they celebrate later this week,” Khan tweeted.
#Diwali dazzled London today 🌟It was amazing to see Trafalgar Square filled with thousands of Londoners celebrating the Festival of Lights.
I wish a very happy Diwali to our Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities as they celebrate later this week. pic.twitter.com/vN1Mn89XU0
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) October 27, 2024
The Mayor termed the celebrations one of the biggest outside of India and stated that it shows the celebration of “diversity at every opportunity”.
“What a joyous atmosphere today at Diwali on the Square—one of the biggest celebrations of the Festival of Lights outside of India. Diwali fills our capital with light, brings our communities together and shows that in London we celebrate our diversity at every opportunity,” he tweeted.
How did attendees celebrate the occasion?
Hundreds of dancers performed at the Diwali event as the attendees were also mesmerised by the music, comedy shows, yoga and sari, and turban-tying workshops, BBC reported.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is a much-awaited celebration for Hindus and Jains, while Sikhs too mark Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day. The festival symbolising the victory of good over evil falls on October 31 this year.
It is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Ram and Sita after an exile of 14 years.
Volunteer Harj Sethi, from Diwali in London, ran a stall where people could learn how to tie turbans.
“For many years we had the sari stand and they were tying saris and the guys were just standing around thinking, ‘what do we do?’ and we said well you know what, we’ll start tying turbans,” he told BBC.
An Indian family attending the annual event for the first time said that they enjoyed the vibe of the event which also helped the children learn more about the culture.
Paritosh Gautam said, “It’s very exciting… look at the vibe, look at the people and how they are enjoying themselves.”
His wife, Ashu, told BBC: “It’s very nice actually. With the help of these events our children get to learn more about Diwali and about our culture.”
- Location :
London, United Kingdom (UK)