Green, blue, yellow, purple, pink, white, and black beautifully designed sarees and dhotis filled the room as attendees made their way into the Sikes Lake Center. To celebrate and share their culture with others. The Indian student organization hosted its fifth annual Diwali event on Nov.4.

Gyaneshwar Malba, computer science senior, said, “Diwali is the most popular festival in India. We celebrate it as a new year, pray for our God and come together as a union.”

Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is a five-day celebration that spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over dispare.

Malba said, “Diwali is important to the Indian culture because we celebrate our Goddess Lakshmis birthday, and the victory of our God Ramas return to his kingdom.”

Malba said on the first day of the festival they clean and decorate their homes. Then, they exchange gifts with family and friends.

“We buy sweets, gifts and dry fruits,” Malba said. “It’s like our Christmas.”

During the two-hour event, attendees are instructed to decide on their favorite Rangoli designs, played games such as a competition of the the best dressed man and woman, the best dance moves, and a balloon race. There were also some classical dance performances and a guitar performance.

Zaineb Ramzan, event host, said, “The crowd this year was actually really big, I was actually surprised to see all the tables full.”

Reddy said this year 200 people attended the event with a budget of $3,500. The organizers rented the hall, passed out posters on campus, sent out invitations, and placed catering orders.

Aditya Reddy, event organizer, said, “Diwali is a tradition that comes from our ancestors, and we want others to explore our culture and our food.”

The food served consisted of Indian dishes such as Chili Chicken, Gobi Manchuria, rice, Sambar, Butter Naan, Veg Dum Biryani and Paneer Butter Masala.

“My favorite part of the event is the food and when everyone dances together,” Reddy said.

The end of the event closed out for the night with all of the attendees dancing to Indian music and line dances such as the “Cupid Shuffle.”

Cindy Reyes, social work junior, said, “I liked the classical dance performance because the girls and guys were dancing by themselves and then together, that was very cool.”

Reyes said she loved the rice and the Gulab Jamun, because it was a nice balance with the spices in the other dishes.

“I was really happy to see that the younger generation was so active because normally it’s just the student association who does it but this year we had a professor who played the guitar, and the little girls came up and danced,” Ramzan said.”To me it’s cool to know that the community wants to be involved in this and that effort is what will keep it going.

Ramzan said learning about other cultures can help make new friends and discover different foods and clothing.

Reyes said, “Being able to see this [event] happen in Wichita Falls and being able to educate college students prepares them for the real world after graduation and prevents them from experiencing culture shock.”

Five facts about Diwali

• Diwali means “the row of lighted lamps” in Hindi.
• More than 800 people celebrate this festival worldwide
• Lakshmi, is the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity which is also worshipped during Diwali.
• Rangoli designs are created to be placed in the entrance of their homes to attract the goddess of wealth.
• One of the popular traditions of Diwali in North India is when families join together to play cards and gamble with money.