FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS:

Diwali: Lighting up joy and faith: Hindu festival a sweet celebration that transcends religions and cultures to brighten dull days of fall (PRITHI YELAJA, 10/21/06, Toronto Star)

Don't forget to wish your desi friends a Happy Diwali today, and perhaps pick them up a box of mithai (sweets) in Little India.

For social fun and camaraderie, the Hindu holiday may well be on its way to becoming the South Asian equivalent of St. Patrick's Day (minus the booze-up aspect) — a celebration that can transcend culture and religion as it brings some sparkle to a dull time of the Canadian year.

"No, it doesn't offend me," Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, president of the Federation of Hindu Temples of Canada, says of the comparison. "Diwali is also a joyous occasion, a celebration of life, a time of socializing with family and friends, singing, dancing and gift giving."