British Columbians gear up for annual Diwali celebration

Diwali — also known as Deepavali — is the annual festival of lights, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world.

British Columbia's sizeable South Asian Canadian population is gearing up to celebrate by sharing good food and lighting lamps ahead of the annual Diwali celebration.

Diwali — also known as Deepavali — is the annual festival of lights, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world.

Although it is set to start on Nov. 1, according to the Hindu calendar, the five-day-long festival often has weeks of lead-up and occupies many weeks for those celebrating.

While the traditional significance of the festival varies by culture — for instance, Hindus celebrate Diwali as the return of the deity Rama after years of exile — they all share the common theme of good triumphing over evil.