Flickering candles, a Bollywood dance performance and educational holiday trivia characterized Elon University’s celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, on Oct. 29 in McKinnon Hall.
Multifaith programming and event director Hillary Zaken said she wanted Hindu students to feel the atmosphere of the celebration and non-Hindu students to learn something new.
“Part of your college experience is learning about traditions you might not have heard about, you might have celebrated before and don’t know anything about,” Zaken said.
According to the Fall 2025 Registrar’s report, 27 Elon students identified themselves as Hindu. However, the celebration, held in McKinnon Hall, drew a crowd of over 100.
Freshman Amelia Gehr got a henna tattoo, a type of temporary tattoo done with ink, at the event. She said when she was younger, she admired the aesthetic of Diwali, but as she grew up she started to appreciate the overarching theme of the holiday: light over darkness. At the celebration, Gehr said she found new context for a holiday she’d known only a little about.
“I don’t know if this is the best analogy, but non-Christians in the U.S. sometimes celebrate Christmas because it’s such a big thing, like non-Hindus in India and in nearby countries might celebrate Diwali just for the fun of it,” Gehr said.
Diwali is a Hindu holiday, but multifaith interns Isabella Kuperman and Omar Khamis told the crowd that the holiday is popular enough in India and south Asia to transcend religious divides.
Saachi Kamath performed at the celebration with Elon Bollywood dance group Surtal.
“I’ve celebrated Diwali for many years, ever since I was a kid,” Kamath said. “And I used to even celebrate it in India. And it was always a festival of light and hope and it brought upon a new year.”