On Nov. 12, more than a billion people around the world celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. Diwali is a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Although celebrated a little differently amongst each of these groups, this holiday has the common theme of uniting people together.
To celebrate the holiday, Germantown Academy’s Asian American Student Alliance (AASA) hosted an affiliate meeting to help share knowledge on Diwali’s history and the delicacies of Indian culture.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, usually lasts five days and marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Despite many regions in India having different traditions they use to celebrate the holiday, houses are typically decorated with deepas, candles or lights, and rangolis. Additionally, sweets are shared and fireworks are lit.
In the Hindu religion, Diwali symbolizes the return of Prince Rama, his wife Sita and brother Laksham from a fourteen-year long war, where Prince Rama was ultimately victorious. During this time, paths were lit up with lamps to overturn the darkness.
In the Sikh religion, this holiday is centered around gaining freedom. It celebrated the victory of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, from Emperor Jhangir who imprisoned him and 52 other princes. Ultimately, Guru Hargobind refused to leave the prison and gain freedom unless he was accompanied by the other 52 princes.
For the Jains, Diwali is the day when the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, Lord Mahavira attained nirvana, complete knowledge and enlightenment.
This year, on Nov. 13, AASA hosted an in-house affiliate meeting to help share the history of Diwali to the community. AASA leaders, Elaine Li ‘24, Angie Wang ‘24, Ajeet Bagga ‘24, and Lucas Philip ‘24, shared the story of Rama and Sita and the importance of decorations, like Rangoli, in Indian households. The club hosted a small party where members got to taste classic Indian snacks, like samosas, mixture and mango juice.
“We hosted an event for our club that consisted of a presentation, food, and coloring traditional Indian Rangoli. This event was important because it ensures that everyone gets the opportunity to understand and know our culture,” Bagga said.
The leaders also expressed the importance of educating the community about South Asian culture which is often masked by numerous other celebrations. They wanted to share important South Asian celebrations to the community, especially ones as significant as Diwali.
“There were a lot of East Asian celebrations but not a lot of South Asian ones,” Philip said. “So we knew we wanted to change that going into this year.”
Of Indian descent, Philip reflected on this opportunity to learn more about his country’s important celebrations and ability to share that with the community.
“I’m not Hindu; I’m Christian, but I still know how important Diwali is for the country,” Philip said. “I felt that it was important to bring that celebration to GA. It was a good experience because I was able to give a presentation on Rama and Sita, so it was cool to learn a bit more about my own country.”
The event was widely attended by the Upper School students. with the satisfaction of both learning and their taste buds. Through AASA’s celebration, members of the GA community were able to understand the celebrations of a culture widely celebrated by many South Asian GA students.
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