दीवाली में 🇫🇯 फ़िजी

Diwali in Fiji is a national public holiday that reflects the significant role of the Indo-Fijian community, which comprises about one-third of the country's population. The celebration is embraced by all Fijians and has become a symbol of the country's multicultural identity.

Indo-Fijian families celebrate with traditional rituals brought by their ancestors who arrived as indentured laborers in the nineteenth century. Homes are cleaned and decorated with diyas, rangoli, and electric lights. Women prepare traditional sweets like barfi, ladoo, gulab jamun, and gulgula, a Fijian-Indian specialty of deep-fried sweet dough balls.

The celebration in Fiji has its own distinctive character. Hindu temples hold special pujas and cultural programs. Communities organize melas, fairs with rides, games, and food stalls. Schools participate with Diwali performances and art projects. The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation airs special Diwali programming in Hindi and English.

Diwali in Fiji also serves as a bridge between communities. Indigenous Fijian neighbors are invited to share in the celebrations, and politicians from all backgrounds attend Diwali events. The festival is seen as a time of national unity, and the Fiji government uses the occasion to celebrate the country's diversity and the contributions of the Indo-Fijian community to national life.

The Hindu Festival of Lights celebrating the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, observed with oil lamps, fireworks, sweets, and prayers to Goddess Lakshmi.