By Jessica Micallef
Sunbury will light up this weekend for the town’s very first Diwali festival.
Also known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is a five-day celebration commemorated by Hindus all over the world.
The Multicultural Resources Hub, a not-for-profit organisation that connects new migrants in Australia to existing communities, will be hosting the Sunbury festival.
Hub advisor Shammi Parekh said she was looking forward to celebrating her culture in her hometown.
“I’ve lived in Sunbury for 30 years now and I feel that there hasn’t been an event like a Diwali Festival,” she said.
“A lot of people do know about it, it’s been celebrated in schools, in kindergartens. People decorate their houses with lights, they make nice sweets [and] they have family and friends over.”
The festival will be traditional Indian cuisine, a sari wrapping workshop, dances and performances and the opportunity for visitors to be inked with a beautiful henna tattoo.
Ms Parekh said up to 600 people are expected to attend the festival. She has encouraged people of all nationalities to embrace the celebrations.
“We wanted it to be a multicultural event celebrating Diwali,” she said.
“It’s not only based on the Indian community. We have got the Filipino community involved, we’ve got the Sri Lankan community involved and we have Fijian communities involved.”
The Sunbury Diwali festival is on Sunday, October 20, at Goonawarra Golf Club, 2 Francis Boulevard, Sunbury between 2-8pm. Free event. To register: bit.ly/2p1Ldv2
