The RancheHouse will be brightly lit for the first-ever traditional celebration of Diwali in Cochrane on Oct. 25.
The celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. Although this is their first event in the community, it has already sold out with and estimated 195 attendees expected to attend. The celebration will feature traditional Indian cuisine and dancing.
Event coordinator Bina Dutt explained that, for many South Asian cultures, the event marks the start of the new year.
“For the community like Hindu, Sikh, or among the many Indian people set to celebrate Diwali, it is known as the Festival of Light,” Dutt said.
In Hindu Culture, Dutt explained that the festival marks the day when Lord Rama, his wife the Goddess Sita, and his brother returned from 14 years of exile over evil to his home town Ayodha Nagri.
“Diwali is the darkest night of the year because there’s no lights, so the people, when he was coming back to his home in Ayodha all the roads were lit up for him so he wouldn’t have any issues finding his way home,” she said. “So that is the reason why we light up out houses in preparation of Diwali.”
Fellow event organizer Paul Singh added that for all cultures that observe the holiday, even though they might have their local differences, they all share the same theme.
“Every culture has a different aspect to how celebrate, but overall it’s the Festival of Lights to mark the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance,” he said.
Both Dutt and Singh are very exited to bring this event to the community and also spread on the event and its cultural significance. Several months of planning for the inaugural celebration in Cochrane, and they are both looking forward to a great party.
“We are very happy to share this because this signifies our culture, and the awareness that we are trying to bring,” Dutt said. “People see some houses fully lit up in the middle of nowhere in October and November, and having parties.
“And this is Diwali. Not a lot of people are aware of this and what it actually brings to the table. This is what we are celebrating; The Festival of Light."
In closing, Dutt and Singh would like to that all the sponsors of the event and all of the dedicated volunteers who helped make this happen.
