Students Enjoy Food and Henna Tattoos at Diwali Celebration
Samosas, henna tattoos, and donuts. All of these and more were offered celebration of Diwali.
The Minority Student Retention Team hosted their second yearly celebration of Diwali (duh-va-lee) in the student lounge of the East Peoria campus. They offered common Diwali snacks and food to students, purchased from SWAGAT Food & Grocery, a local business in Peoria. This was done to expand the knowledge of and educate students about Diwali and other cultures.
Lonetta Oliver, the Dean of Humanities, explained that while it is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, and other religious groups, it is a holiday enjoyed by all. This holiday is typically celebrated in India, but also appears largely across the U.K. She continued, saying Diwali is a celebration of good conquering evil, and light over darkness. This is shown through a festival of lights and good food.
The turnout for the event was a success, with students enjoying the food and learning about the cultures.
Student Keagan Missey said, “It was fun enjoying food from more cultures than my own.”
Another student, Maddy Huff, mentioned that the event inspired her, and that she enjoyed being able to try new foods that she would not have had to opportunity to, if it were not for this event.