Diwali: Lights of India

OVERVIEW

Seattle Center Festál presents Diwali: Lights of India in partnership with Northwest Share. This year’s festival features music, dance, visual art, martial arts, a cooking demonstration and more.

HISTORY

Diwali (Festival of Lights) is a major cultural celebration observed throughout India every fall. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Light is a metaphor for knowledge and consciousness. During Diwali in India, houses and business locations are brightly illuminated with lamps, diyas (oil lamps), and candles. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is worshiped for prosperity. Diwali is celebrated with families and friends, wearing new clothes, partaking in family feasts, enjoying delicious sweets, sharing gifts and most importantly, setting off firecrackers!

Northwest Share is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Seattle, founded in 2000 to promote arts, culture, tradition, heritage, education, health, and humanities. Northwest Share organizes many arts and cultural festivals all around Washington State in partnership with City of Redmond, One Redmond Foundation, City of Bellevue, City of Issaquah, Seattle Center, Washington State Parks, Northwest Folklife, etc. The organization also runs vegetarian food trucks and distributes free food to people.

DID YOU KNOW?

• India is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
• India is the seventh largest country by area and second most populous country in the world.
• India has the world's second highest number of languages, approximately 780 languages including various dialects.