‘Eidiwali’

DR ASHRAF CHOUDHARY’S UPDATE
The months of September and October have seen major celebrations among the very diverse ethnic communities of New Zealand. The Eid Ul Fitr for Muslims, Diwali for Hindus and the Moon festival for Chinese and Korean community all occurred during this time.
Ramadan, as one of the five pillars of Islam, holds special significance for Muslims. Eid is a day of thanksgiving by means of distributing alms, gifts among the poor, the needy, children and loved ones and offering special prayers for peace and harmony around the world are the hallmark of Eid.
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is being celebrated all over the country with great fervour, gaiety and enthusiasm by all Indians.
 
A special groundbreaking event took place in Hamilton on Tuesday, 6 October under the recently formed umbrella of ‘Koshish Charitable Trust’. Together the Indian and Pakistani communities jointly celebrated the ‘Eidiwali’. I believe such joint celebrations are fantastic way of promoting community spirit.