White House Celebrates Diwali

 The White House celebrated Diwali by lighting the White House diya, as Michelle Obama addressed the gathering in the Blue Room. This marks the fifth time that the Obamas have celebrated Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights.

The First Lady chatted conversationally then took a more solemn tone:

As you may know, we’ve celebrated this holiday here at the White House every year since Barack took office. And there’s a reason why we've done that, and I mentioned it to the kids -- when we say that we want to make the White House the “people’s house,” we mean all people. We mean that we want to honor and embrace all of the many cultures and faith traditions that make us who we are as Americans. And Diwali is very much one of those traditions.

The President earlier made a statement about Diwali:

For the Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists celebrating Diwali this weekend, the Festival of Lights reaffirms the things in life that matter most. Dancing, celebration, and good food remind us that life’s greatest joys are the simple pleasures that come from spending time with people we love. Contemplation and prayer remind us that that people of all faiths have an obligation to perform seva, or service to others. And the flame of the diya, or lamp, reminds us that light will ultimately triumph over darkness.

Here in the United States, Diwali also reminds us that our nation is home to many faiths and traditions, and that our diversity makes us stronger, which is why I’m proud that this year Democrats and Republicans in Congress joined together for the first-ever celebration of Diwali on Capitol Hill. Over the last five years, Michelle and I have been honored to have the chance to observe this ancient holiday, both at the White House and in India, and we wish all those celebrating this weekend a Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak.

Meanwhile, US Senators John Cornyn and Mark R Warner, co-chairs of Senate's bipartisan India Caucus, announced that they would introduced a bipartisan resolution in the Congress to recognise the religious and historical significance of Diwali.