Indian community celebrate festival

Dancers from Auckland's Macleans College perform during the Diwali Festival of Lights at Britomart last night. Phil Walter / Getty Images

Auckland shone with the tastes and smells of Mumbai or New Delhi last night, as members of the city's Indian community gathered at Britomart to celebrate the Diwali Festival of Lights.

Diwali, also known as Deepavali (literally a row of lamps) and colloquially as The Festival of Lights, is celebrated throughout India as well as in Indian communities around the world.

It is the time when families light small oil lamps (known as diyas) and candles around the home and set off firecrackers and fireworks.

Diwali gave the Auckland Indian communities the opportunity to share this much-loved cultural tradition with other New Zealanders and their families.

Food vendors, dancers and body-artists were among the many participants.

- NZHERALD STAFF