00:00 bringing communities together. The Festival of Light or Diwali is a renowned Hindu festival
00:06 to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness. Usually celebrated in early November, a lot
00:12 of people have come together at Kent College for the commemoration of life renewal with
00:16 candles, dance, art and a wonderful array of cuisine by Karara Foods. I'm here at the
00:23 heart of Diwali Festival and celebrations have truly begun here in Canterbury. Illuminating
00:30 the spirit and community we have here, I cannot wait to see how this important festival has
00:37 brought together a variety of people, backgrounds and cultures to celebrate our triumphs this
00:42 year. Generally it's a time for reflection, it's a time to think about the new year, it's
00:48 a time to think about how to be a better human being, so yeah, Diwali is a very special time.
00:54 The night was alive with mesmerising performances where a variety of students and teachers were
00:59 able to showcase their skills in dance, even opening up the colourful, joyful display with
01:03 the audience. Yes, I love dancing and have the opportunity and we have fun and it is
01:12 all about having fun. I just like meeting different people, different cultures and I
01:18 just love to see all the dresses and the bright colours and it's just a joy. In addition to
01:26 all the exuberant celebrations, Diwali shows the importance of giving back and always showing
01:31 support for one another within our community. I came up with the idea that I said we should
01:36 just contact one of the food banks or a fair share and see if we can really get some food
01:44 from them which we would buy. We would buy the food, then we would make it and then we
01:49 would give it back to them and they would distribute it to various families who need
01:54 it. And that inspired us, me personally, to pick up the pots and pans, whatever we have
02:02 and it was a really, really heart-filling gesture for us that we are able to give something
02:08 back to the community. The Festival of Light has lit up not only a clearly joyous community,
02:14 but also has shined a light on the importance of keeping down costs in time for the festive
02:17 season. Allegra Webb for KMTV in Canterbury.
