Rangolis, diyas: Zohran Mamdani celebrates Diwali with Indian-American community
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated Diwali by sharing a video on social media, showcasing the city's cultural diversity. In the video, residents decorated steps with marigold flowers and candles, creating colorful rangoli patterns, and lighting traditional clay lamps known as diyas. The clip featured people of various backgrounds, including women in saris, Sikh men in turbans, and young men in kurtas.
As the sun set, they illuminated the rangoli, joined hands in a traditional greeting, and collectively exclaimed, "Happy Diwali, New York!" The mayor's post garnered positive reactions from the public, with many praising the heartwarming display of cultural unity. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a five-day Hindu celebration marking Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and his triumph over evil.
During the festival, people light diyas, decorate their homes with rangolis, savor festive cuisine, and offer prayers.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
