Diwali celebrations light up UK: Thousands mark festival after event was cancelled last year

Published: 04 November 2021

Thousands of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains in the UK have been celebrating Diwali this week after the five-day Festival of Lights was cancelled last year due to Covid.

Crowds gathered in Leicester's Golden

Thousands of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains in the UK have been celebrating Diwali this week after the five-day Festival of Lights was cancelled last year due to Covid.

Crowds gathered in Leicester's Golden Mile and Canary Wharf's Jubilee Park last night to mark Diwali, which honours Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, and celebrates the triumph of light over dark - representing good over evil.

The name of the festival, which takes place from November 2 to November 6 this year, is derived from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning 'rows of lighted lamps'.

Houses, shops and public places are traditionally decorated with small oil lamps called diyas, and a firework display usually takes place. However, this year authorities in Leicester replaced the annual firework show with a fire garden and laser light show to reduce crowds.

Large screens along Belgrave Road in Leicester, which is said to be hosting the biggest celebrations for the festival outside of India, showed a pre-recorded programme which replaced the usual stage show.

And council officials even asked those who gathered on Belgrave Road yesterday to wear facemasks and take Covid tests before arriving, and to stay at home if they felt unwell - even if their results came back negative, and even if they were fully vaccinated.

Dharmesh Lakhani, owner of Bobby's restaurant on Belgrave Road, told the BBC he was 'grateful' the venue was full with customers once more.

He added: 'It's been two years since this happened here so it's been really, really brilliant. It's nice to see so many people out and about again.'

Ivan Browne, director of public health for Leicester, said: 'Visiting friends and families in their homes is a traditional part of Diwali Day, but please remember that the virus thrives indoors. If you are inviting people into your home, keep the windows open and encourage visitors to wear a face covering - even if everyone is fully vaccinated.'