Guyanese light up New York for Diwali
by Vishnu Bisram
NEW YORK -- Guyanese lit up parts of New York City where they live for the joyous festival of Diwali Sunday evening. Christian and Muslim communities also sent greetings on the Hindu festival of light which was observed with prayers at temples and in homes and with cultural variety concerts over the weekend. The Diwali festival is fast becoming a mainstream celebration among Guyanese and other Hindus living in Queens as they take pride in putting diyas (lit earthen lamps) outside their homes and lighting up the areas where they live or conduct business. The diyas glowed in the darkness around the yards and in front of many homes. Electronic lights (as used in the Christmas season) were also used to add to the artistic and elaborate decorations Saturday and Sunday evening. According to Hindu beliefs, Mother Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, visits every home at Diwali and makes her dwelling in those which she finds most beautiful, neat, clean, and tidy. So people make elaborate preparations for the occasion and worship Mother Lakshmi with great gusto, ceremonies and devotion. On Saturday night on Liberty Avenue, a ceremony involving inter-faith prayers was held to usher in the festival which was followed by the symbolic lighting of the whole of Liberty Avenue where thousands of Guyanese congregate on weekends for shopping. Being the last Diwali for this millennium and to usher in the new millennium, a group of Guyanese organised a street lighting ceremony to mark the occasion. Vishnu Mahadeo, who is spearheading an effort to rename a part of Liberty Avenue as Cheddi Jagan Avenue, and Berbician Gyanda Shivnarain who ran unsuccessfully for School Board elections, helped to organise a massive decoration of the avenue. They raised funds from the many businesses on the avenue which were used to decorate all the lamp posts with huge colourful bulbs and artificial flowers and roses. The area was also cleaned of garbage and kept spic and span. Rev. Seepaul, Pandit Jadonath and an Imam of the Al Abidin Masjid led the group that gathered in front of the mandir for the street lighting ceremony with prayers. This was the first time that Muslims and Christians came together on the same platform to wish Hindus happy Diwali in New York. This was also the first time that Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens, the hub of commercial activities among Guyanese, was lit up with a variety of colourful electronic lights. Lights were also turned on in front of the mosque and the Christian church where Guyanese worship. Virtually all the Hindu Guyanese-owned businesses on the avenue were also decorated with electronic flickering lights and other appropriate decorations. On Diwali night, lit diyas were placed at the entrance of homes and dozens more decorated rooms, window ledges, outside stairways, banisters and porches. Diyas were also spread around the lawns and yards. It was no different from the celebration in Guyana. Aside from Liberty Avenue, the shopping districts which Guyanese patronise were well decorated. Many businesses were closed on the afternoon of the festival and people exchanged gifts and greetings at temples, wherever else they met and on the phone. The two Guyanese-owned radio stations broadcast Diwali-related songs for 24 hours. The Guyana Television Channel as well as other Guyana-oriented programmes on other channels carried Diwali-related musical items and an explanation of the festival from pandits. On Sunday morning, temples were packed with worshippers. 
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