On November 3, the 10th edition of the Diwali Festival was celebrated in Amstelveen, which gathered over 23,000 participants. Diwali is a hindu festival of lights, which takes place over the course of five days during Kartika, the 8th month of the year in the Hindu calendar. It represents the spiritual victory of the light over the darkness, or the good over the evil, and it is characterized by brightly illuminated temples, houses and buildings. It is the day of the Laxmi Puja and the return of Lord Rama, after defeating the evil king Ravana on Dussehra, 20 days prior. Lord Shiva Temple held the sixth annual Dussehra Festival on October 21, which took place this year in the Nelson Mandela Park, Amsterdam.
Lord Shiva Temple held the sixth annual Dussehra Festival on October 21, takes place this year in the Nelson Mandela Park, Amsterdam. Dussehra Festival is a major Hindu Festival celebrated in the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin. In Hindu beliefs, this day marks the defeat of Ravana by the God Rama and it is usually celebrated by social gatherings of the community with the slogan of ‘Truth is Always Victorious Over Evil’. Seljan Abbas/ The AmsterdammerThe Dussehra Festival received over 600 participants from Amsterdam Hindu community and others as well. Children and adults dressed up for the event, which created an unique traditional feel of Indian Mela (social gathering). Seljan Abbas/ The AmsterdammerDussehra Festival in Amsterdam promoted the gathering of community to one location with various traditional, dances, songs and speeches along with vast variety of Indian food stalls and beverages at the event place. There was also a live orchestra programme with cultural dance performances presented by professional artists. Seljan Abbas/ The AmsterdammerThe Diwali Festival attracted approximately 16,000 people. All of the performances and most of the food stands were held inside the main tent, but there was plenty of music and games for the children to enjoy outside too. Andrea Rossignoli/ The AmsterdammerThe front half of the tent was occupied by several food stands selling a variety of dishes that ranged from popular Indian street food to traditional tea and desserts. Andrea Rossignoli/ The AmsterdammerPictured, three young girls rest their hands on top of a marble table waiting for their henna designs to dry. The henna stand was one of the most popular attractions for the children present at the event. Andrea Rossignoli/ The AmsterdammerDeepti Jose, Soniya Biradar, Anjali Bapna and Kalika Saxena preparing for their dance performance. The four of them, originally from India, together form the Sanskriti Dance Group. Andrea Rossignoli/ The Amsterdammer
