Diwali lights spark festivities across Britain

LONDON: Major towns across Britain such as London, Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester sparked off Diwali festivities on Sunday evening, with the Indian festival

LONDON: Major towns across Britain such as London, Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester sparked off Diwali festivities on Sunday evening, with the Indian festival increasingly becoming a mainstream event joined by people of different ethnicities and religions.

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London’s Trafalgar Square was transformed into an Indian square, with a riot of colours, cuisine, music and dance providing the backdrop as mayor Sadiq Khan lit a lamp to launch the annual event that attracts thousands.

Pattering rain failed to dampen the enthusiasm. More than 30,000 people gathered in Leicester’s arterial Belgrave Road, the home of Indian and Asian business and culture, as the lights switch-on ceremony supported by the local council marked a new high for a town that was historically uneasy with immigration.

Jodeen Kaur, 11, a pupil at a Leicester school, won a competition to press the button to switch on thousands of lights and launch a fireworks display. Diwali in Leicester is reputed to be the largest outside India. Besides setting up a Diwali Village, a highlight of the festivities in Leicester was the participation of Leicester City Football Club, which won this year’s Premier League.