Celebrating Diwali in Keystone
Note: To learn a little more about the culture and the Diwali celebration in San Antonio, check out this article on the city-wide Diwali celebration.
As Indian music and food filled the air, any student would be delighted to find, just around the music room, several mothers dressed in Indian clothing sharing Indian snacks and hosting different booths with cultural activities. This was one of Keystone’s first Diwali celebrations, hosted by several Keystone mothers, filling the campus with life and celebration.
During this event, everyone in middle and high school received a few Indian snacks, including a samosa and a gulab jamun. A samosa is similar to a fried pastry filled with potatoes, spices, and a few vegetables. A gulab jamun is a milk-based Indian dessert drenched in sweet syrup. Typically, to eat the food, people dip the samosa in the tamarind sauce, served with the snacks, and enjoy the gulab jamun as a dessert on the side.
One of the activity booths had mehndi, otherwise known as henna, a type of Indian tattoo. Frequently, at celebrations, someone would come with the henna, a dark brown paste, and decorate the back of others’ hands with it, creating beautifully intricate designs. Another station allowed students to create sand art, using colored sands and trays to create stunning mandalas on the campus.
All in all, it was amazing to see my culture shared on campus, and my peers embracing the various facets of it. I am grateful to the wondrous mothers who put together this event, and I wish everyone a fantastic Diwali!
Shreya Chaudhary is a senior planning to major in data science or computer science. She interns with TigerGraph, promotes and tutors women in STEM through...