Family, friends and locals of different cultures came together recently to celebrate the Diwali New Year.

There was delicious Indian food, crafts for children, pop-up vendor stands and dancing outside the Columbia Museum of Art on Oct. 16.

Panna Chauhan, a local resident and vendor of the tea stand at the party, said the tradition is important to her culture.

“This is the New Year for Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism,” she said. “This date is celebrated five days in a row, but the last day is our actual new year day.”

Her friend, Varsha Parikh, joined her.

“The families getting together and celebrating means a lot,” Parikh said. “It reminds us that the good things win over the evils.”

Many Hindus in attendance compared the Diwali festival to how many celebrate Christmas. They put a lot of time and effort into setting up beautiful and vibrant lights and art designs to keep the New Year event full of color and decor. Rangolis, artwork featuring colorful designs using organic materials, were featured throughout the space.

“We do the lighting, and we put rangolis outside the doors for color,” said Sangeeta Singh, who worked a crochet stand. “We take the color from the rangolis to create more designs and drawings to decorate the whole venue.”

The crowd kept growing as the festival continued. Long lines formed at each food station, while others waited to get henna tattoos done or purchase art and jewelry.

Two different children groups of dancer put on a performance for the crowd to wrap it all up. Everyone gathered around to cheer and record the young children in their matching uniforms.

“The meaning of ‘Diwali’ is darkness over light,” Chauhan said. “And that’s what this festival is all about.”

Niara Pattanaik, 5, gets ready to perform in the children’s dance. Photos by Riley Mekanik/Carolina Reporter