What is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights? A Broward County leader explains
The world’s third-largest religion is celebrating its biggest holiday this week, with multi-day ceremonies and traditions passed down for centuries. But many South Floridians are unfamiliar with Hinduism — or the broader Indian-American experience.
As part of its Oct. 15 meeting, the Coral Springs City Commission honored the area’s Hindu community ahead of its multi-day celebration of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights.
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) was one of the denominations recognized — and one of those holding a public celebration for the holiday.
Volunteers of all ages spend up to two months preparing the temple for the grand Diwali celebration — coordinating performances, ceremonies and cultural displays. That also includes a unity-themed exhibition created by students in the temple’s cultural and religious education programs.
That includes Dhaval Bhagat, who has lived in South Florida for over two decades. A homeowner in Parkland, he’s one of the temple’s leaders and sat down with Coral Springs News reporter Allison Beck to talk about the holiday and what it means for the community.
Note: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Coral Springs News: Can you explain for any readers who might not be familiar: What is Diwali, and why is it so meaningful to the community?
Dhaval Bhagat: Think of Diwali as the biggest festival on the Hindu calendar. There are so many different tales that go behind how Diwali came about, but at the end of it, all of those have a story which is the triumph of good over evil. It also happens to be the last day of the Hindu calendar. So it also marks a reflection of the year past, and getting set for the upcoming year through rejuvenation, celebration.
CSN: Have you seen more people engaging with these holidays and activities, and are there things you want [non-Indian] people to learn specifically about Indian-American and Hindu culture through these sorts of things?
DB: That’s the one big purpose of celebrating these festivals is to bring awareness to the broader community — of Indian heritage, Indian culture that goes beyond yoga and turmeric, right? There is so much richness to the culture, to who we are as a community, to who we are as people. These festivals give us the opportunity to bring people in, welcome them through our doors and show them the culture and heritage and our food and our people that we are so proud of.
CSN: How do you see that theme of triumph, reflection and rejuvenation resonating today?
DB: What we see today is nothing new. It’s been around for thousands of years in humanity. Festivals like Diwali give us an opportunity to reflect. Diwali is all about creating the positive, joyous side of it all in all the adversity that is around us. That is what Diwali keeps reminding us, that no matter what darkness you see around you, there is always a sliver of joy somewhere. Take that, celebrate that, make it huge. That’s what Diwali is all about.
Public celebration
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Diwali celebration is open to the public from 12:30-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22 . The temple is located at 541 SE 18th Ave. in Boynton Beach. It will include worship, live performances and a number of Indian delicacies for sale.
Learn more on the BAPS website here.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM.
