Hundreds gather to celebrate Diwali in Savannah

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in India.

It’s a Hindu holiday that’s five days long. Hundreds of people came together to celebrate it in Savannah.

Rooms filled with music, food and color all to mark the third day of Diwali also marking the new year for Hindus.

”The biggest thing is, you’re getting a new start, where that fresh, divine light is instilling within the new year as you move ahead,” Neil Sharma said.

Neil Sharma says it’s very special to be able to celebrate this holiday right here in Savannah.

“It’s always great to bring culture to the place that you live and bring everyone that’s within the community as one to celebrate such an auspicious occasion.”

Coming together with friends and family is what many look forward to every year.

“Usually I make it a thing to come back to Savannah during Diwali, and so, when I come home, I see people I haven’t seen in years, sometimes over the year, so It’s really cool to see a lot of people grow,” Kishan Patel said.

Others celebrating Diwali in the Coastal Empire for the first time say it already feels like home.

“You feel just so included here. There’s a lot of new faces, but it doesn’t feel that way. It feels like I’ve known them for years, and I literally just met them last week,” Hazrl Patel said.

Many people at the celebration say making those connections is what it’s all about.

“You shared a positivity, you shared something good, whether it’s your food, because that’s what we do here. We eat together, we pray together, we stay together. And that’s the good message that we want to pass along to as many people as we can,” Drashti Sharma said.

There are still two more days of this festival both focused on celebrating relationships within your family.

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