A CELEBRATION ofDiwali, the Hindu festival of light also celebrated by other Indian religions likeSikhismandJainism, will be held in Leith tomorrow night.
Diwali traditionally falls today (MON), but the Leith Sikh andPunjabicommunities are celebrating tomorrow (TUE), with a ceremony at the Edinburgh Gurdwara followed by the fireworks display.
Attendees will be received at the Gurdwara by Pall Singh, founder and project director at Building Bridges, a registered charity which runs intercultural community events and supports minority communities in Edinburgh.
They will celebrate Diwali this year as an intersectional event, with people of all faiths gathering to celebrate the event together.
The festival is known as the festival of light for Hindus and the Bandi Chhor Divas for Sikhs.
Popularly known as Diwali, the festival celebrates the spiritual victory of Dharma – or light – over Adharma, darkness.
Diwali is a blanket term for a range of festivals, all with different meanings for their respective religions, celebrated by various Indian religions on the same day.
Typical methods of celebration include the lighting of candles, illumination of homes and workspaces with oil lamps, ritual oil bathing, lighting of fireworks, and feasting.
The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word for “row of lights” (Deepavali).
For Hindus, it commemorates the return of Prince Rama to his kingdom after defeating the fearsome demon Ravana and 14 years of exile.
For Sikhs, it marks the release of the sixth of Sikhism’s ten gurus, Guru Hargobind Singh from prison.
For Jains, the day marks the final liberation and attainment of nirvana of Lord Mahaviri, founder of Jainism.
In Edinburgh, people of all backgrounds are being invited to join the celebrations, light a candle, and feast in honour of the occasion.
The event will begin at 6pm tomorrow at the Gurdwara temple on Sheriff Brae near the Shore and conclude with a firework display outside the temple at 8:40pm.
Attendees are being asked to provide a small donation to fund the event and for the work of Building Bridges.
The organisers of the event have been contacted for comment.
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