SYLVANIA, Ohio — Sunday marked the Hindu, Sikh and Jain new year, Diwali. The festival of lights is a time for families to come together to celebrate and bring light into the darkness.
Diwali is a festival lasting up to five days. It's filled with color, vibrancy, prayer and family.
"As important as Christmas is to you all, so it's a big deal and our New Year starts today, so it's like New Year's and Christmas, both at the same time, so it's a big deal," Hindu Temple of Toledo Member Lakshmi Dalwalla said.
The Hindu Temple of Toledo usually sees 500 families come together. The day begins with prayer and ends with fireworks.
"If it was in India, it would be fireworks all over the city and the sky is lit with all kinds of fireworks," Dalwalla said.
It celebrates the return of a beloved king after 14 years in exile, a triumph of good over evil.
"It basically symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance," Diwali Coordinator Vinita Singhania said.
It's also a day for togetherness. The Temple invites all its neighbors to join in celebration.
"We are actually very lucky. Even though we are a small community here, that we have this temple where we can get together and celebrate all our festivals and things like Diwali where we miss India, it's nice to be here and celebrate it with the rest of the community," Dalwalla said.
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