Happy Diwali! ‘Festival of lights’ starts Tuesday

Diwali, the Indian ‘festival of lights,’ got underway on Tuesday. The five-day festival, which honours light over darkness, is celebrated mainly by Hindus, but some Sikhs and Jains also celebrate it.

It also marks the end of one year and the start of another on the Vikrama lunar calendar.

It’s also a time for visiting friends and family, exchanging gifts, feasting and setting off fireworks. Merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books.

The word “Diwali” comes from the Sanskrit word for “row of lamps” — with lamps filled with oil and hung in front of homes to signify the triumph of good over evil.

Diwali celebrations began over the weekend in the GTA, with live music and dancing at the Gerrard India Bazaar.

On Saturday, CityNews reporter and anchor Francis D’Souza also host ‘A Night To Shine,’ an annual fundraiser for the University Health Network, at Toronto General Hospital. Actress Anita Majumdar co-hosted the event.

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