Diwali Celebrated in Beltsville

By Jenny Chen

The construction dust has barely settled on the great hall of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple in Beltsville, but hundreds of parishioners are streaming into the door this Saturday morning for the Diwali ceremony. Inside, rows and rows of people are sitting cross legged, facing a stunningly lit display on stage at the front. There are piles and piles are artfully arranged food as offerings to the idols that are being displayed.

It’s Diwali – an Indian celebration with New Years, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one. It’s called the “Festival of Lights” because worshippers wave candles in circular motions in unison to better light the figures they are worshipping. The lights are also symbols of positive energy and worshippers bend over the candlelight to banish away darkness, fear, and negativity.

Over 2,000 visitors celebrated Diwali at the temple in Beltsville and there were over 850 unique vegetarian/vegan dishes prepared by 500 volunteers, according to Mayur Thaker, media relations director.

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is part of a network of over 70 Swaminarayan temples (called mandirs) in the United States. This one in Beltsville was created under the guidance of guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service.

True to it’s mission, most all the work done in the temple – from food preparation to custodial work – is done through the work of volunteers, said Ami Patel, another media relations director for the temple.

The Beltsville BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was originally a warehouse and has slowly been converted into a place of worship for Hindus (mostly of the Gujarati state). In the next couple of years, there will be classrooms and additional worship places added to the temple.

Children are a large part of the BAPS community and this Saturday was no different. While the adults are worshipping inside, there is a carnival set up outside complete with a bouncy tent, cotton candy, and other crafts and games. Teens from the temple helped organize this event so that second and third generation Hindus can create their own unique Diwali traditions, Patel said.
“It’s a struggle that all immigrants face, right?” said Patel. “We want to teach them about the old traditions, but we also have to be flexible about creating new ones.”

Michelle Obama Celebrates Diwali at White House

Here in Washington DC, Michelle Obama publicly celebrated Diwali by being one of the first First Ladies to kick off her heels and join in a rousing Bollywood number.

(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

“When we say that we want to make the White House the “people’s house,” we mean all people. We mean that we want to honor and embrace all of the many cultures and faith traditions that make us who we are as Americans. And Diwali is very much one of those traditions,” Michelle said.

The first lady went on to say that “there is still a lot of evil in this world,” citing the Walnut Creek Sikh temple shooting earlier this year.

“But Diwali is also a time for contemplation and reflection. It’s a time for us to think about our obligations to our fellow human beings, particularly those who are less fortunate than we are.  And as we light the diya — the lamp — we recommit ourselves to the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil.

“I am so proud and so honored to be celebrating this beautiful holiday at the White House with all of you,” the First Lady told guests. “And I wish you all and all your loved ones a Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak.”