For Concord High School sophomore Ekantika Kumaran, Diwali means being able to gather and spend time with family.
This week she and her family have been celebrating the Hindu holiday known as the festival of lights by decorating their house in bright colors, lighting candles on the balcony of their building and creating designs in colored powder out in the courtyard.
Freshman Pratiktshya Rijal and her family are celebrating Tihar, the Nepali version of the holiday, with traditions that include honoring crows, cows and dogs and gift-giving between brothers and sisters. Freshman Jenisha Gurung and her family have been going around to friends houses and singing.
“We get blessings from elders to stay healthy and be good,” Rijal explained. “It’s a celebration of light and family.”
Concord High School students gathered Tuesday to recognize Diwali, which is generally celebrated over five days, at an event hosted by the school’s Be the Change Club. The club puts on the event annually.
Students decorated the orange carpeted room upstairs at Concord High School with festive string lights, placed a cluster of LED tea-light candles and paper flowers in the center of the room. Students served food they had cooked, including vegetable biryani, pyaji onion fritters, chatpate, sel roti rice bread, and Nepali chow mein.
Students dressed in bright colors danced to a mix of music chosen by club members and gathered for a group photo.
Be the Change Club students have been working over the past several weeks to organize the event, and delegated responsibilities such as music and cleanup, according to ELL social worker Lauren Aversa Owens, the club’s advisor.
“I think it’s really important for other students to understand different holidays from different religions in different countries and cultures,” Aversa Owens said.
Kumaran and sophomore Simron Sherpa, whose family is from Nepal, took turns speaking to the group about the holiday, each explaining their traditions. Both emphasized the importance of community.
“It’s about appreciating family, making family stronger and reuniting family,” Sherpa said.