Indian community’s 1st Diwali Festival opens in Bacolod

CEBU, Philippines - Diwali, India’s “Festival of Lights” will be celebrated for the first time in Bacolod City, starting today until Nov. 5.

Mayor Monico Puentevella said Diwali will be one of Bacolod’s premiere tourist attractions, “like MassKara and Bacolaodiat, a Chinese fiesta, that “started small and eventually grew to be what it is now.”

Diwali Festival chairman Haresh Chugani said: “This is a big leap as the Bacolod’s 1st Diwali 2013 will follow the mega-festivals in the USA, Canada, England, Australia and Singapore where big groups of Indians settled and became citizens of these countries.”

Chugani said this is the first time that the locals will celebrate Diwali with the Bacolod Indian community. The fest was limited before among the Indian community, but this is one religious activity celebrated among Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, among others.

The Diwali Festival is basically in honor of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth and prosperity, and characterized by the array of lights, thus called “Festival of Lights” symbolizing the victory of righteousness by lifting the powers of darkness.

Puentevella said the city’s support of the festival acknowledges the contribution of the Indians to the local economy which dated back to the 1920s after World War I.

It would also help push up Bacolod as the tourism capital of Western Visayas, said the mayor as he bared plans for the city to host one national event every month starting next year, such as Korean and Japanese festivals. “This is one way to attract more visitors to Bacolod,” he said. —Contributed article (FREEMAN)