Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights that’s also celebrated by Sikhs. The traditional celebrations include music, dancing and food and if you're in the Sunderland area on Friday 20 October, you're invited to join the party at the Seaburn Centre, organised by Sangini. Sangini is a volunteer-led health and culture organisation which aims to promote well-being and cultural diversity for all members of society in Sunderland. Sangini was initially aimed specifically at Asian women in the area, but since it was founded three years ago, both men and women, Asian and non-Asian, have benefited from the workshops on offer - and like previous years, Sangini are inviting all to a special Diwali celebration in Seaburn. Lighting up Seaburn On the night, women and girls from the Pennywell Youth Project, the Indian Welfare Association and the Ektha Women’s Group will be performing Indian Stick dancing, called Dandiya. A rare treat at the Seaburn centre will be Padmaja Reddy from Hyderabad who will be performing traditional Indian Kuchipudi dancing, which will tie India and Sunderland together. Shruti Jain is a board member of Sangini and she has been involved in the organisation of the festival and is very excited about the upcoming celebration.
 | | Celebrating Diwali |
"Diwali is about celebrating the goddess Lakshmi and on the night we will have something like a service, a pooja, for Lakshmi to bring wealth and prosperity." Diwali celebrations take a similar form of Christmas in the West, where spending time with family and friends plays an important part. "If I was at home with my family, my mother would have done a spring-clean of the house and we would have exchanged presents like new clothes or other new things for the house like pots and pans. "We would decorate the house with fairy lights that will stay switched on until Christmas. We'd also light candles in every room to welcome Lakshmi into our home," Shruti from Sangini says. A feast which unites
 | | A welcoming decoration |
The Diwali festival is linked to different legends in different parts of India, but what is the same wherever you go - be it in India or even England - is that the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance. Lakshmi is the goddess that is celebrated at the Diwali festivities everywhere and she’s the goddess of health and prosperity. The lamps are also lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people's homes and help them in the coming year. In India houses, shops, and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas, which are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings. Sunderland Diwali - Festival of Light The Sangini Sunderland Diwali celebrations take place at the Seaburn Centre on Friday 20 October from 19.00. Music, dancing and food will be on offer. Tickets are £5, under 10s go free, and are available from the Seaburn Centre Box Office on 0191 529 40 91. | 
