Hundreds of people came to Jersey City’s India Square recently for the Diwali Mela 2010 celebration. The annual event, one of India’s most festive religious occasions, welcomes the coming of a new season of the year, new life, and the promise of rebirth in the coming year. This year’s event included outdoor vendors, musical performances, and attractions for children and adults alike.
India Square is the section of Newark Avenue between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue where Indian shopkeepers started setting up businesses in the early 1980s and where a bustling Indian immigrant community has grown up.
People in the Hindu, Sikh and Jain religion celebrate Diwali for five days each year sometime between mid-October and mid-November.
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The Diwali Mela was the wrap-up to a week of acknowledgment of Diwali in Jersey City that was kicked off at City Hall, where Mayor Jerramiah Healy, members of the City Council and the Division of Cultural Affairs held a candle-lighting ceremony.
This year’s Diwali Mela event featured famed Indian singer and comedian Devang Patel and various local officials were in attendance.
The event was sponsored by the Newark Avenue Jersey City Chamber of Commerce, which represents local businesses, including the Village Restaurant and Bar, Rajbhog Foods, as well as sponsorship by civic organizations such as the Indo-American Senior Citizens of Hudson County.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.