Diwali celebrations kicked off over the weekend, with the start of Auckland Diwali Festival’s 20 days of celebration in
the lead up to Diwali, officially observed on 4 November this year.
The Festival will look a little different this year with an online celebration.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff says: “Diwali is one of Auckland’s most popular festivals and a really important celebration
for the Indian community.
“It is disappointing that the usual celebration has again had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“However, we want Diwali to still be a special time for Aucklanders, with the online programme providing opportunities
for families at home to enjoy Indian culture and celebrate the Festival of Lights together.”
The Auckland Diwali Festival team have gathered a range of entertaining and educational content for all Aucklanders to
enjoy, available at Aucklandnz.com/Diwali. Landmarks will also be lighting up in bright fuchsia and yellow for the
Festival of Lights. The Auckland Diwali Festival Facebook page is sharing daily inspiration.
Leilana Meredith, Festival Producer, says: “While the tens of thousands of Aucklanders who normally attend our major
event aren’t able to this year, we still wanted to support Aucklanders to celebrate Diwali, learn more about Indian
culture, enjoy and try something new at home with their family.
“Tasty Indian dishes and treats are a firm festival favourite, so we have fantastic at-home recipes and cooking
demonstrations; music, crafts and dance are always hugely popular, so we have dance classes, henna and craft templates,
videos to learn more about Diwali and Indian culture, and a playlist of music from DJs that would usually perform at the
festival,” says Meredith.
Meredith says that stallholders and performers are a key part of the full festival, and the team was determined to find
ways for the online celebration to showcase their talents.
“We want to thank our community of performers, stallholders and sponsors who have been so important in creating the
content for this online celebration.”
Local Board Member Ella Kumar has been involved in the festival in many ways for two decades and hosted an online class, Bollyrobix with Ella Kumar, yesterday on the Auckland Diwali Festival Facebook page.
Kumar says this year it is about families celebrating together at home: “This year, along with the online activities
from Auckland Diwali Festival Facebook page, it is an awesome opportunity for the families to celebrate Diwali in their
own homes by lighting up with fairy Christmas lights, making festival foods that are specifically made during Diwali and
sharing the history of Diwali. The children can also enjoy Rangoli art at home around their property. I remember in the
1970s when Diwali was celebrated in our family home, we spent hours making festive foods for family and friends, we lit
little Diyas around home. This was prior to having Auckland’s larger scale event,” says Kumar.
Perzen Patel will be part of the online celebration by offering three cooking classes, including offering a free class
on Saturday 23 October on how to make Masala Dosas from scratch, and sharing a recipe for at-home cooks. Her business
Dolly Mumma - named after her grandmother, Dolly - makes ready to cook pastes that help Kiwis go beyond butter chicken.
Patel says: “I remember attending the Diwali Festival as a high school student. It was one of the few places I could
find authentic Indian street food, far beyond what you could find in a general takeaway shop at the time. I loved seeing
the dances, meeting the community and eating, it felt like Diwali at home.”
“As an Indian that's lived in New Zealand most of my childhood, when it came to cooking Indian at home, I was always
intimidated by the spices and methods. It felt easier to just get a takeaway. It took moving back to India, starting a
food blog and experimenting (many, many times) with spices to understand that the "recipe" is not as important as
cooking with all your senses. I want to help people incorporate the flavours of India into everyday cooking.”
While it is 20 years since the first Auckland Diwali Festival, the celebration of that much-anticipated milestone will
be saved for the next in-person festival.
Auckland Diwali Festival is an important opportunity to celebrate traditional and contemporary Indian culture and our
diverse Auckland Indian communities.
The Auckland Diwali Festival is delivered by Auckland Unlimited, on behalf of Auckland Council. Asia New Zealand
Foundation is the festival’s founding partner.
IMAGES: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qekzYL3WbFTlB86QSmyddbxeBUtaClA_?usp=sharingONLINE CELEBRATION DETAILS:Cooking Classes with Dolly Mumma (Info/registration here)Past: Chatpata Chaat - $10 | Saturday 16 OctoberSpecial Diwali Dosa Class - FREE | Saturday 23 OctoberBiryani for President - $10 | Saturday 30 OctoberLive dance classes on Auckland Diwali Festival Facebook pagePast: Bollyrobix with Ella Kumar | Sunday 17 October, 10am (recording available on Auckland Diwali Festival Facebook page)Bollyfitness by Aaja Nachle | Sunday 24 October, 10amBollywood Masala by Khottey Sikkey | Saturday 30 October, 3pmLandmarks Lighting for Festival of LightsVector Lights on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, Tuesday 26 October – Sunday 31 October.Te Ara I Whiti, Tuesday 26 October – Sunday 31 October.Sky Tower, Friday 29 October – Sunday 31 October.Auckland War Memorial Museum, Monday 1 November – Saturday 6 November.Viaduct Harbour, Saturday 30 October - Sunday 07 NovemberAvailable on Auckland Diwali Festival website:Craft templates for henna art, making a paper marigold garland, rangoli and a salt dough diya.Six vegetarian recipes to try at home including coconut barfi, semiya payasam, chole bhature, and dosa. Recipes kindly provided by Dolly Mumma, Banu’s, Mithai, and Anju’s Kitchen.Dance and music playlists, featuring the local dancers, musicians and DJs that would usually perform on the stages at the Diwali Festival.NOTE TO EDITOR:Dolly Mumma and Banu’s are both graduates of The Kitchen Project, an initiative by Eke Panuku and Auckland Unlimited, which focuses on the development of budding local food and
beverage businesses with an emphasis on culture, healthy food and sustainable business practices.