The Festival of Light and Liberation, Sikh Style
Diwali is celebrated in various ways by South Asian peoples. The Sikh celebration adds politics to the mix.
Dozens of children light candles and divas (small oil lamps) before entering the gurdwara with their parents and grandparents.
Marginalia, Stories | Bandi Chhor Divas, Diwali, Philippines, Queens, Richmond Hill, Sikh, Sikh Cultural Society, South Asian communities, festival of lights, histories
October 31, 2014
October 31, 2014
Indians around the world celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, on October 23. The holiday—which celebrates the victory or light over darkness, good over evil, and truth over ignorance—is rooted in the Hindu tradition, but celebrated by non-Hindus as well. In Richmond Hill in Queens, for example, the Indo-Guyanese community holds an annual motorcade parade for the holiday. For Sikhs, the holiday is an occasion for a more politicized remembrance. On October 23, Sikhs celebrated Bandi Chhor Divas, or Prisoner Release Day.
