Angeline Chand is encouraging people to connect with their culture this Diwali via two local competitions. Photo / Warren Buckland
A festival could be just the light relief that Hawke's Bay needs right now.
The second official Diwali festival in Hawke's Bay was cancelled in October because of Covid-19 restrictions, meaning celebrations will remain infamily homes this year.
In place of the official public celebrations, Hastings resident Angeline Chand has decided to run two competitions.
Diwali is a festival of Hindu faith, also celebrated by other religions such as Jain and Sikh, which celebrates the triumph of light during the darkest day of the lunar month known as Kartik.
This year the darkest day falls on November 4, and the festival takes place from November 2-6.
"It's kind of like our version of Christmas, for Hindus it's the biggest festival of the year," Chand said.
Chand, who is a board member of the Multicultural Association Hawke's Bay and the Hindu Council Hawke's Bay, is a fourth-generation Hindu of Fiji-Indian descent.
"My ancestors travelled to Fiji in the 1800s as labourers and retained our traditions and culture during their migration.
"Now I want to do my part and make sure my children and others don't lose their connection to their culture," Chand said.
The first competition is creating a rangoli, where participants are encouraged to have a go at drawing a traditional Diwali pattern without the help of a stencil. Photo evidence must be provided of the materials used, the rangoli being made, and the finished product.
For the second competition, participants are encouraged to decorate their homes with all sorts of lights and provide a one-minute video illustrating their efforts.
"It's about the victory of light over darkness and good over evil during Diwali, like in Lord Rama's story. Rama was exiled in the forest for 14 years by his stepmother, where he destroyed many demons.
"When he returns to the kingdom to avenge the kidnapping of his beloved Sita he kills Ravana, a 10-headed evil ruler. The story, like the festival, celebrates the reigning of good over evil," Chand said.
The word diwali derives from the Sanskrit term dipavali, which translates to a row of lights.
During the festival, diyas or clay lamps are lit and placed in rows along buildings and rivers and rangoli/traditional Indian patterns are created in doorways from colourful materials.
These are just some of the traditions that mark the time of year, and they are traditions that Chand is keen to see preserved in families of Indian heritage through her competition.
Registrations and entries for the two competitions will close on November 2 and should be emailed to bayfoodcompliance@gmail.com or text through to 0272929855.
Winners of the light competition will receive grocery vouchers worth up to $200 and will be decided on November 4. The rangoli winners will receive trophies and will be announced on November 6.