Festival of lights: how UCL celebrated Diwali
The Rangoli of Lights, Subharnab Majumdar, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 DEED
Rangoli is made using coloured fine powder or sand, and its creation is a popular activity during Diwali.
Diwali was celebrated on Sunday, 12th November, by a range of faiths and cultures in London. Commonly known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, the celebration is centred around good prevailing over evil and light prevailing over dark, filling the streets of London each year with candles, lamps, and fireworks. Other traditions include feasts, worship, and rangoli (traditional decorative art).
This year, Diwali at UCL did not disappoint. Several societies immersed themselves in the festivities, which spread over two weeks. Kicking off in early November, the Jain Society hosted a Diwali dinner on Friday 3rd, at a local restaurant in Holborn. This event was a collaboration with other Jain societies from London-based universities, connecting UCL students with those from King’s College, Imperial, and Brunel.
The following Friday, another collaboration took place, this time between the Cosmetology Society and Statistics Society. The unlikely pairing united for a Mehendi social, using henna to design and apply the traditional body art. Another group marking the occasion through creativity was the Lamorna (or candle-making) Society, which held a Diwali-themed session on Wednesday, 15th November. According to their Instagram, Lamorna Society provided ‘herbal and incense scents, as well as glass markers to decorate jars with Rangoli patterns’.
Turning to the Hindu Society, their schedule for the Diwali week was jam-packed. On Monday 13th, November, they started with a gathering for Diwali Aarti, the prayerful Hindu ceremony that involves waving small flames in front of deities. After their own Mehendi night on Tuesday, Wednesday saw the return of the famous Hindu Society Diwali Ball. The night was unsurprisingly a highlight, including a 3-course meal, a special DJ presenting a mixture of Bollywood and English music, and a chance to bring out the beautiful traditional clothing once again.
Last but by no means least, the UCL ‘Festival of Lights’ was drawn to a close through an appropriate return to Gower Street. On Friday, 17th November, the Students’ Union organised a mela (fair, usually associated with being Indian) in the North Cloisters on campus. Proud to hold the title of UK’s largest cultural society, Indian Society contributed to the event’s success, running Diya (clay oil lamp) painting stalls, whilst Indian Dance Society displayed a live show of their talent. Jain Society joined the celebrations again by providing dance performances and a free mithai stall (Indian traditional sweets).