Photos

In most of the major cities in New Zealand, every Diwali there is a massive celebration - not just for New Zealanders of Hindu religion, or Hindu living in or visiting New Zealand, but people of all nationalities often join in too.

In my city, Wellington, for the past couple of years Diwali has been held in an Arena, (often used to host concerts for popular international acts) and there is a whole weekend of Indian entertainment, food and dance to celebrate Diwali, and at the end of the night there are massive fire works over the harbour. You can spend a day there, and the entire building (as big as a stadium) is used to celebrate Diwali.

This particular photo was taken at a Bollywood dance competition one night during Diwali- an estimated 25-30 thousand people showed up to watch. Children as young as five enter, but mainly teenage girls and boys are the dancers. My friends actually won the competition (although this photo is not of them). Amazing dancers and beautiful costumes - it is definitely something I never miss in my city :) It is also something I love about my country - despite this being a Hindu festival (and India being very different from New Zealand), people of all nationalities come together to celebrate and embrace it.