ND Law’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association celebrates Diwali

Notre Dame Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, along with Notre Dame’s South Asian Student Association and the Graduate Student Union, organized a Diwali Celebration on October 27 in the Dahnke Ballroom. Over 200 students from across campus attended the event.

Diwali is India's most widely celebrated holiday of the year and celebrates the victory of good over evil and the festival of lights. The festival gets its name from the row of clay lamps that Indians traditionally light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects against darkness.

The celebration included food from a local restaurant, India Garden, prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi, music and dancing, and a light display.

Second-year law students Sonia Patel and Batul Ather, co-vice presidents of the Law School’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, helped organize the event.

“Being able to have the chance to share my culture and the festival of Diwali with the Notre Dame community will definitely be a highlight of my law school experience. It was amazing to see the number of people who were involved in the South Asian community and wanted to learn more about the festival,” Patel said. “I hope that future APALSA boards plan a celebration in future years.”