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How some Hindu-American families are celebrating both Diwali and Halloween

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

It's October 31, Halloween, which means millions of people are prepping their costumes and planning for trick-or-treaters. But for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, today is a holy day, too - Diwali, also known as the festival of lights. From member station WFCR, New England Public Media's Nirvani Williams shows us how some Hindus are preparing to celebrate two very distinct holidays today.

NIRVANI WILLIAMS, BYLINE: You might remember this pop culture Diwali moment from "The Office."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE OFFICE")

STEVE CARELL: (As Michael Scott) What is Diwali, you may ask? Well, it is essentially a Hindu Halloween.

WILLIAMS: Actually, that's not even close. As usual, Michael Scott from "The Office" is more than a little off. Diwali, pronounced with a V, is actually the Hindu festival of lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil and signifies renewal.

SARITHA REDDY: Hi, Reggie (ph). How are you?

REGGIE: (Inaud***).

WILLIAMS: Saritha Reddy is shopping for her Diwali celebration. She's holding a diamond-shaped cashew fudge in her hand, a favorite Indian sweet of hers called kaju katli.

REDDY: This one have, like, saffron and rose petals in it. And if you see this, this is, like, a dry fruit filling, like, inside the sweet.

WILLIAMS: After she leaves the Indian grocery store here in West Springfield, she's also running over to Costco to grab candy. Her family is celebrating both.

REDDY: Growing up here, they are, like, you know, want to celebrate both of them. And they are giving some time for Diwali to celebrate, so I'm happy.

AKSHAJ: I like Halloween, like, a little - just a little bit better because, like, I get to go trick-or-treating with my friends and get, like, lots of candy.

WILLIAMS: That's her 14-year-old son Akshaj, who has a plan for the evening. He says after school, he'll change into a traditional Indian kurta outfit and have a small puja, or moment of prayer, dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, with his family. Then he'll hit the streets for sweets.

AKSHAJ: I want to wear, like, a karate gi and, like, be, like, a character from my favorite TV show. It's called "Cobra Kai."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language).

WILLIAMS: But at a recent Indian folk dance festival, there were a variety of opinions about the overlap of Diwali and Halloween this year. Eleven-year-old Anjori Gandhi, just a few years younger than Akshaj, says she prefers to keep the holidays separate because it's hard to find an outfit for both. And...

ANJORI GANDHI: They're, like, two different holidays. And it's like - it would be weird celebrating them together. It's like you're celebrating two, like, opposite things on same day.

WILLIAMS: Diwali is typically a five-day festival, where the biggest celebration, the lighting of candles called diyas, happens on the third day. Fifty-year-old Leena Thakker says a blend of holidays may just be too confusing for her nieces and nephews.

LEENA THAKKAR: So it's hard to - with Halloween, it's very, like the opposite, right? Like, it's very dark, and it becomes really difficult to blend. So it's better to enjoy each festival separately on its own.

WILLIAMS: But 24-year-old Nistha Patel says both can be celebrated together.

NISTHA PATEL: If you want to keep tradition alive, you have to flex. You have to adjust and keep up with the times and let them do both, honor both 'cause they're also growing up in this world where all their friends aren't doing Diwali.

WILLIAMS: And along with sharing American candy, Saritha Reddy says she can share her culture, too.

REDDY: I'm excited that Diwali will reach more people as they're falling on the same day.

WILLIAMS: So whether you're reaching for a Kit Kat bar, kaju katli or both, one thing's for certain. Your sweet tooth will definitely be satisfied today. For NPR News, I'm Nirvani Williams in Springfield, Massachusetts. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Nirvani Williams