Rhythmic dancing, lively Indian pop music, and aromatic Indian food—the hallmarks of the Diwali celebration for students at Emerson—filled a small reception room off Boylston Street on Friday night. Students of all cultures laughed, danced, and enjoyed the party, which honored the Festival of Lights, an annual Indian celebration originating from Hinduism. 

Hosted by Saathi, a student-led South Asian cultural organization at Emerson, the event drew a crowd of around 50 students in the Loft. Electric candles lit the space, representing diyas, small oil lamps traditionally made of clay, that symbolize hope and renewal.  

Those who celebrate Diwali–which traditionally lasts five days–and those who were new to the holiday ate chicken biryani and mango lassi, danced to songs like “Chamak Challo” and “Desi Girls,” and learned more about the history of the celebration. 

While Diwali has a different origin story for Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains, it is commonly known in India and many other countries like Singapore and Nepal, as the celebration of the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. This year, the holiday officially started on Oct. 20 and ended Oct. 23, though the date shifts annually with the coming of the new moon. 

Away from home, Emerson’s international students from India, and others who celebrate the holiday with their families around the United States, reminisced on traditions they observed growing up with the holiday and discussed new traditions formed at college. 

Riya Patel, a junior business of creative enterprises major originally from New Jersey, said she is happy to have a community at Emerson where she can connect with others who share her culture. 

“I like that we have this event…because I come from a place where I grew up with a lot of South Asians around me, especially first [geneneration], so it feels nice to have this community here,” she said. 

According to Patel, one of the ways she connects with her culture is through the art of henna, or mehndi, a temporary body art made from the dye of the henna plant. It is a creative hobby she started before she came to college as a way to stay connected to her family and culture. She had set up a station at the corner of the dance floor at the Emerson celebration and had a line of students waiting to get art on their hands and arms. 

“I wanted a hobby that was creative, but also reflected where I came from,” Patel said. “I found doing henna has been like a really great [way] to…connect with that.”

For Inika Mukherjee, a freshman creative writing major and a part of the operations team for Saathi, she  is happy to be a part of an organization that celebrates Diwali. In California, she didn’t have time to participate in any South Asian organizations in her high school. As a result, much of her celebration has taken place back in her home of Santa Clara. There, her family would do a small celebration for Diwali by lighting tea lights, the modern version of diyas, and decorating their porch. 

“I’m glad there’s an opportunity for me to have this sort of student union for South Asian people,” she said. 

Jasleen Kathuria, a freshman media psychology major, would start off Diwali back home in Delhi, India, with prayer before indulging in snacks, before everyone would go to her house for the big family meal. 

Now, at Emerson, she tries to celebrate Diwali by waking up early to join her family, who are over nine hours ahead of Boston, in those same prayers over the phone. Whenever she gets homesick, she says she usually eats her favorite Indian foods, listens to Indian music, and spends time with other international students from India as a reminder of home. 

Kathuria said she grew up hearing the epic of Ramayana, an ancient Hindu scripture central to the origin of the Diwali holiday, where Prince Rama defeats the evil demon king Ravana and rescues his wife, Sita. On his journey back home, the citizens of Ayodhya lit diyas to help guide the prince and his wife back home during the new moon. 

“For me, it’s always been the Festival of Lights, the festival where you find your way back home,” said Kathuria. “The biggest part of Diwali was home.”