Diwali Celebration New Zealand 2019: Programs

• 29th Sep: Pre-Diwali Shopping Expo, 29th Sep 10am to 7pm at Vodafone Events Centre, 770 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland  2014
• 5th Oct: Multi cultural Diwali Festival 2019, 5th Oct, 12noon to 8pm organized by Auckland Indian Retailers association, Papatoetoe Maukau 2025 New Zealand
• 5th Oct: Diwali & Karwa chauth Mela, fun filled family event on 5th Oct 3pm to 8pm at Mount Roskill War Memorial, 13 May Road, Mt Roskill Auckland. Free entry.
• 6th Oct: Diwali Potluck Social Women Night on 6th Oct 5pm to 9pm at Fairhaven School Hall, 120 Boucher Ave, Te Puke 3119
• 10th Oct: Albany Diwali Celebrations, 10th Oct 3pm to 4pm at Albany Village Library, 30 Kell Drive, Albany, Auckland. Fun, craft, henna hand painting, rangoli drawing and more.
• 13th Oct: Queenstown Diwali Mela 2019, on 13th Oct 6pm to 10pm at Queenstown Event Centre. Organized by Bhartiya Samaj Queenstown
• 12th & 13th Oct: Auckland Diwali Festival 2019, from 12th Oct 12noon to 13th Oct 9pm at Aotea Square, 291-297 Queen Street, Auckland 1010. Performances, food stalls, craft stalls, fireworks and much more. Click here to know more
• 19th Oct: Hare Krishna Diwali 2019 on 19th Oct 4pm to 9pm at Hare Krishna Temple, 1229 Coatesville-Riverhead Hwy, Kumeu, Auckland 0892
• 19th Oct: Celebrate Diwali @ Hobsonville Point, #BlingonPoint 19th Oct 5pm onwards at The Sunderland Lounge. Indian street food, bollywood music, performances and fun. Free community event.
• 19th Oct: Manukau Diwali, 19th Oct 12noon to 9pm at Vodafone Events Centre, 770 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland, 2014. Concert, Food stall, craft stalls and fireworks at 9pm. Live in New Zealand bollywood icon Zeenat Aman and singer / song writer Neeraj Shridhar at free concert.
• 19th Oct: Diwali – Festival of Lights, annual family event on 19th Oct 5.30pm onwards at Ashburton Trust Event Centre
  211a Wills Street, Ashburton 7700.
• 20th Oct: Waitakere Diwali Mela 2019, 20th Oct 10.30am to 10pm at The Trusts Arena, 65-67 Central Park Drive, Henderson Auckland 0610. Fun filled live performances, food stalls, craft and fireworks display.
• 20th Oct: Dussera and Diwali celebrations, 20th Oct, 3pm onwards at Mahatma Gandhi Center (MGC) 145 New North Road, Eden Terrace Auckland. Stage decoration, dances, singing and authentic telugu dinner. Organized by New Zealand Telugu Association.
• 25th Oct: Tauranga Diwali Festival, 25th Oct 4pm to 10pm at The Historic Village, Seventeenth Ave West, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty. Free admission
• 26th Oct: Dunedin’s Diwali Celebrations 2019, 26th Oct at Lower Octagon, Dunedin 9016 Public art Gallery, Otago Museum. Food, Fun, Performances, Rangoli, Mehendi, Workshops (saree draping, turban wrapping, Indian dance, Music) and more
• 26th Oct: Nelson Diwali 2019, 26th Oct 5.30pm to 9pm at Trafalgar Centre, 7 Paru Paru Road, Nelson 7010. Indian and Nepali dance performances, traditional music, fusion mantra music and sumptuous dinner for all.
• 26th Oct: Christchurch Diwali Indian Festival of Lights 2019, 26th Oct 2pm to 9pm at Cathedral Square, Christchurch. Free entry. Organized by Indian Social and Cultural Club
• 26th Oct: Auckland Tamil Association Deepavali Celebrations, 26th Oct, 6pm to 8pm at Freemans Bay Community Center, 52 Hepburn Street Auckland 1011. Check FB page for tickets.
• 26th Oct: NZNS Tihar (Diwali) Celebration, 26th Oct, 1.30pm to 4pm at Mt Albert War Memorial Hall, 773 New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland. Hosted by New Zealand Nepal Society.
• 26th Oct: Diwali with Sidhu Moosewala Live in Auckland at Diwali Mela on 26th Oct 7.30pm at Vodafone Events Centre 770 Great South Road, Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand 2014. Ticket $60-150 buy online
• 26th Oct: Namaste Wellington Diwali Fest 2019 on 26th Oct 12noon to 9pm at Wellington Indian Association Inc 48 Kemp Street, Wellington 6022
• 27th Oct: Bandi Shoorh Diwas (Diwali) – ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋਡ਼ ਦਿਵਸ / बंदी छोड दिवस on 27th Oct, Kirtan from 10am to 11pm. Fireworks at 10pm at Gurudwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Takanini, Auckland
• 28th Oct: Goverdhan Puja ISKCON, 28th Oct 11am onwards (11.30am An abhishek of Govardhan, 12pm Go Puja. 12.30 Arati of Govardhan followed by Parikrama and offering of sweets to Govardhan, 12.45 dance performance by Hare Krishna School kids, 1pm, Damodarastakam followed by Prasadam) at Hare Krishna Temple ISKCON 1229 Coatesville-Riverhead Highway 0892 Auckland
• 28th Oct: Vaishnav Parivar Annakoot Utsav, 28th Oct, time to bring samagri 11.30am to 12.30pm. Satsang, paath and Maha prasad 1pm to 5pm at Kelston Girls College, 1 Archibald Road, Kelston Auckland. Member community event.
• 28th Oct: Shri Ram Mandir Goverdhan Puja  on 28th Oct 10.30am to 12mid day at Shri ram Mandir 11 Brick St Henderson Auckland.
• 28th Oct: Bhartiya Mandir Goverdhan Puja and annakut utsav on 28th oct 10am till afternoon followed by distribution of prasadam at Bhartiya Mandir 252 – 254 Balmoral Rd 1025 Auckland
• 2nd Nov: Shubhmangal 2019 Deepawali, 2nd Nov 7pm at 60 Shirley Road, Christchurch. Organized by Christchurch Fiji Association
• 2nd Nov: Deepawali & Ankut Utsav, 2nd Nov 6pm onwards followed by maha prasad (feast) at Wintec City Campus, Hall A1.04, Tristram Street Hamilton. Organized Shri Swami Narayan Temple ISSO Hamilton
• 2nd Nov: Deepavali Festival of Light Cultural Show, 2nd Nov 4pm to 6pm at Newlands Community Center, 9 Bachelor St, Wellington. In support of Kurinchi Kumaran Temple Wellington.
• 16th Nov: Dunedin Tamil Society Deepavali Event, 16th Nov, 4pm to 7.30pm at Union Hall, University of Otago, 640 Cumberland Street, North Dunedin
• 24th Nov: Wellington Diwali Festival of light Celebrations, 1.30pm to 9.15pm at TSB Arena and Shed 6 Wellington. Gold Coin Entry. Indian vegetarian food stalls, traditional & contemporary dance, Music and fashion, Arts, Crafts and Henna stalls. celebrations will close at 9.15pm with the Cottrell Law fireworks at Frank Kitts Park promenade.

About Diwali

Diwali, also known as Deepavali or Deepawali, is celebrated on Kartik Amavasya (कार्तिक अमावस्या). Kartik is name of Hindu month and Amavasya means no-moon day. The celebrations usually start two days prior to Diwali and goes for two days after Diwali day. The festival is of significant importance for all communities and religions in Indian subcontinent; specially Hindu, Sikh, Jainism, Buddhism

The occasion two days before is Dhan Teras (धन तेरस) or Dhanvantari Trayodashi which is considered auspicious to buy precious metal like Gold or Silver. This is a practice followed by  Indian community introduced by the ancestors which was a way of saving for the future.

On Diwali, people meet and greet their extended family, neighbors and friends. They clean and  decorate their house with Rangoli (रंगोली) colorful Diyas (दिया / दिपक), lanterns and lights, to Welcome Mahalaxmi, the Goddess of Wealth and offer prayers. Main prayer is held in the evening and known as Laxmi Puja (लक्ष्मी पूजा) offering prayers to the Goddess of Wealth. Another is Chopda Puja (चोपडा पूजा) where business community pray for better Business for the coming year and worship the Account Books. ‘ Chopda’ means books of accounts. Bandi Chhor Divas (ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ / बंदी छोड दिवस / Day of liberation) is celebrated with Diwali. It is day to mark return of Guru Hargobind Ji (श्री गुरू हरगोबिन्द जी)

Next day of Diwali is celebrated as Goverdhan Puja (गोवर्धन पूजा) and Annakut (अन्नकूट) and also as the new year in Gujarat. This day community prays to Lord Krishna and prepare variety of feast at home.

Third day of Diwali is celebrated as Bhai Dooj (भाई दूज) which is celebrated by brothers and sisters. The sisters pray for long life and happiness of their brothers and in return brothers gift their sisters. The Marathi language translation of this festival is Bhau Beej (भाऊ बीज).

Diwali in Indian subcontinent is also time when activities related to sowing of new crop starts.

Have a blessed and prosperous Diwali and new year. शुभ दिपावली

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