Fireworks!

Diwali, the largest and most popular Indian festival, was celebrated with fireworks throughout the week. This fuzzy photo is from a celebration in Trafalgar Square (I had to jump for the shot, which is why it is poor quality) For the first time in 70 yrs, it snowed in the UK in October-the night just before Diwali. I was with some kids from the youth club who were pretty disappointed. The day of Diwali, Wednesday the 29th, I visited the Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden. Over 30,000 people passed through the doors of that Hindu temple. It was an amazing experience to see the intricate construction and hear more about Hinduism from those around me.

There were smaller celebrations within the next several days. Halloween is understood in many different ways but for myself, several young kids and some parents it meant spending time together having fun dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins, playing games, and grabbing candy from a broken piñata! Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5th gave the Brits a reason to light fireworks as well. For over a week I had a fireworks display every night in our back alley-cheaper than me having to buy any!