New Zealand celebrated Diwali the last two weekends. Diwali is an ancient Indian festival of truth and light. It is celebrated with music and dance, exchanging gifts and sweets, decorating homes with lights, making patterns on the floor, and a fireworks show. Women paint henna on their hands and feet.
On Saturday, Christchurch celebrated Diwali and yesterday Wellington held a celebration. The previous weekend, there were celebrations on both Saturday and Sunday in Auckland. These included a Bollywood dance competition and street theatre in downtown Auckland. Asia NZ also brought artists and folk dancers from India for the celebrations.
This year India will celebrate Diwali on November 13th. Probably the international performers need to be in India at that time.
There are more than 100,000 Indian people living in New Zealand. They come from many parts of India and Fiji.
Vocabulary
• ancient – very old, traditional
• henna – red dye
Questions
• What celebrations are important in your culture? Why?
• Are traditional celebrations still popular in your country?
• If you know someone who celebrates Diwali, find out more about this festival.