New York areas Indians joined together to celebrate Diwali in grand style and much appreciation for the many superlative qualities that the festival signifies, such as peace, harmony, goodwill, brotherhood, sharing and giving among families, friends and neighbors. Diwali or Deepavali, which is popularly known as The Festival of Lights, was celebrated on Sunday, October 8th by Association is Indians in America with a grand program and a fire works at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. Hindus are attaching special importance to the Diwali festival comparable to Thanksgiving which is celebrated a month after Diwali or the Christmas or Jewish Hanukah seasons in the U.S.
The Hindu organizations in the Richmond Hill, Queens, a community of predominantly Indians from the Caribbean region, organized a grand Diwali Motorcade to usher in the beautiful celebration of Lights. The motorcade started on the famous Liberty Avenue a busy commercial strip, lined with many businesses owned and operated by East Indians who migrated from Guyana, Malaysia, India, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, and who brought their rich culture and heritage with them. Many Mandirs in the Hindu community participated in the motorcade and parade. It was a spectacular night with many beautifully decorated, well adorned and lighted vehicles cruised by one after the other. It was the Parade of the Lights.
In Nov. 2005, New York City Council passed a bill adding Diwali to its long list of major holidays on which it suspends alternate-side-of the street parking (i.e, no street cleaning that day, so cars that are street-parked need not be moved by owners to allow the cleaning trucks to come through). Hinduism was the largest religion not to be represented on the list. The bill (420-A, introduced by Council Member Gale A. Brewer) was passed unanimously by the City Council's Transportation Committee on Tues, Sept. 20. On Wed, Sept. 28, the bill was passed unanimously by the City Council, 45-0. The bill was eventually passed over Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto, and the first observation was on Oct. 21, 2006.
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