Source: Press Reports
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, December 24, 2002: In an effort to promote cross-cultural links, the city of Birmingham, England, connected the annual Deepavali celebration with the lighting of the towns’ Christmas lights. Held in November the annual event attracted over 5000 people, three quarters of whom were Hindu or Sikh. Indian music, prayer, dance and fireworks plus children’s rides and food tents filled Centenary Square, with exhibitions by students at the Repertory Theater. The exhibitions included a cultural zone where a mock Indian wedding was held using a Manap (traditional four-poster carriage), a “spiritual zone” with classical Indian music and meditation and a children’s area.