The lights started to dim and the food smell started getting stronger. It was the celebration of Diwali at Muhlenberg College and all the students started pouring into the event space. Spotted on the other side of the room, there was a long line for getting henna, an Indian tradition.

The first event of the night at Diwali (at Muhlenberg) started with the E-board of SASA (South Asian Student Association) introducing the crowd to the backstory of how the celebration came to be today. It goes as follows: Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana, symbolizing the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. To honor his return, the people of Ayodhya lit thousands of oil lamps, or diyas, to guide him home. This tradition of lighting lamps continues today, reminding us to bring light into our own lives through goodness, kindness, and hope.

At the start of the event, we got the Mint HipHop team to preform their dance. It was a lively dance for sure that got the crowd all excited. Next up with the amazing tap group called Copes (for short). They preformed a dance that was absolutely mind blowing to me. The coordination each of them had along with the talent in each of the steps. But after that, Mayhem preformed their dance as well which, as well, blew my mind. The power in their stomps made my jaw drop. The precision and how each of them were on beat together made my mind blown. Everyone in the crowd was excited and cheered their friends on.

After, it was finally time for SASA’s very own dances starting with a solo from Abhilasha. She preformed more of a traditional Indian dance that was stylistic. Next up was the E-board of SASA who also preformed their very own dance. This was more a funny dance and brought many smiles to my face because many of them on the stage were my friends.

Finally, it was my groups turn to preform our dances. I only participated in two of them, which I was so grateful to do. Hearing the crowd cheer while the music was going made an uplifting and closer community.

Attending a Diwali event for the first time was a truly eye-opening experience, filled with vibrant colors, rich traditions, and a deep sense of joy. The dances as well were so fun to participate in and hearing the cheers in the crowd along with many professors participating really made this place feel like a community.

Along with that, after the show was over, a group of students waited for all of us who preformed to go outside and light the candles. Unfortunately, because Pennsylvania at this time has a Burn Ban (meaning you cannot light fire outside due to the weather) we were forced to use electrical candles. Although we were forced to use them, it still brought a sense of community throughout my friends and everyone who attended which made me feel at home.