On Oct. 17, FAU celebrated Diwali — the ancient Indian Festival which originally honored the time of harvest and now symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness and goodness over evil.

“Diwali is the Indian festival [of] lights,” said Jaclyn Melo, director of Interfaith Programming. “It transcends subcultures and religions within India to unite the nation, in a much similar way that the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving are embedded into American culture.”

The event, put on by Nirvana FAU, a club that promotes the cultures of students of South Asian and Caribbean descent, Multicultural Programming and Interfaith Programming highlighted the cultural and spiritual aspects of Hindu and Indian culture. Slated to start at 5 p.m., the festival did not start until 6 p.m. that evening due to the long set-up time.

The show began with multiple dance performances by performers and dance groups like Dyna’Dance, Krishna Patel, Students of Narthana Dance Academy, Vidhi Gurjar, Ami Patel and Tuba Shahnawaz, and Urvashi Patel, who were brought together by the event’s organizers and demonstrated traditional Indian dance forms, such as the bharatanatyam, and intricate Bollywood dances.

“The dances were awesome,” said neuroscience major Dawit Rumicha. “They were really cultural and gave me a real taste of Indian culture.”

During the performances, students were able to visit three booths that each represented a different form of Indian culture.  Students were able to get henna tattoos, make lanterns to decorate and take home, and create Rangoli, a traditional art form of India that customarily uses colored rice.

Traditions Plaza was widely decorated, including tables with colorful tablecloths, with a center stage to showcase the dance and fashion. There were also colorful paper lanterns that hung from trees which lit up when nightfall approached.

The event promised food, which also arrived late. However, there was plenty to distract from the lack of food, such as the colorful and rich fashion show that followed after the dance performances.

Fashions showcased traditional clothings from Indian culture such as embroidered dresses for women and embellished pants and tops for men. The cultural program ended with a final bow from all of the models and performers. “The fashion show was very exotic and definitely a must see,” said Ruba Raza, a health administration major.

Overall, the event seemed to be a success. The amount of audience members was strong enough to keep the FAU Traditions Plaza bustling on a Friday night. It also succeeded in reaching out to other students, as even some high school students came to enjoy the festival. “We’re glad that FAU hosts such amazing multicultural events,” said Georgia Hayes, a dual enrollment student from Atlantic Community High School.

“It’s critical that the student culture is represented within FAU,” said Melo. “Our mission is to make students feel as at home as we can.”