India Association plans Diwali celebration

YOUNGSTOWN -- The India Association of Greater Youngstown celebrates the Indian festival Diwali beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Stambaugh Auditorium on Fifth Avenue.
The cost is $15 for adult association members, $20 for nonmembers, $10 for college students who show proper identification, and $10 for children under 12.
Apara Badjatia of the association said Diwali is perhaps the most well-known of the Indian festivals. It is celebrated throughout India as well as in Indian communities worldwide.
It is colloquially known as the "festival of lights," because the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, verandas, gardens, as well as on rooftops and outer walls, Badjatia said.
The celebration of the festival is generally accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks.
As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across India. But, in general, it signifies the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes on the day of the festival, Badjatia said. Similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season, he added.
For more information about the festival or ticket information, contact Badjatia at (330) 533-4171 or Saroj Khaterpaul at (330) 856-2203.