Multi-day Diwali celebration takes over Elk Grove
ELK GROVE — More than a billion people across the planet are celebrating Diwali this week.
The multi-day celebration marks the darkest night on the Hindu lunisolar calendar and many people gather with family and decorate their homes with lights.
"It is the Hindu celebration that is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains," said Monica Patel of the Janta Sewa Group.
Hundreds attend the annual event in Elk Grove, a city where more than 12% of the population identifies as being Indian.
"There's a huge population of Indians in Elk Grove and so we thought it was about time to share our culture," Patel said.
"Elk Grove is really a tapestry of so many different cultures and so we always welcome the opportunity to celebrate them," said Tina Lee-Vogt, the chair of the Elk Grove Diversity and Inclusion Commission.
It comes at a time of growing tension between Hindu and Sikh religions following the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada this summer. Both faiths are involved in Elk Grove's festival, and organizers say there have been no conflicts.
"We have not felt it," Patel said. "Elk Grove is a very welcoming community."
The city hopes festivals like this will help unite the community.
"Any time that you can bring people together to learn from each other and celebrate and have fun, that's going to really reduce tensions," Lee-Vogt said.
The celebration also offers a lesson for young people.
"It's important for our children to learn that we may be different, we may all wear different clothes and have different ways of celebrating our holidays, but deep down inside, we all love the same things," Patel said. "We love to have fun, we love color, we love food, we love music."
The city of Elk Grove also has festivals for other cultural celebrations like Lunar New Year, Indigenous People's Day, and Juneteenth.
