Diwali: West Country communities celebrate the festival of lights during Covid-19
Watch the full report from our reporter Bob Cruwys
Diwali is one of the main annual events on Hindu, Sikh and Jain calendars but Covid-19 restrictions meant the usual festivities could not take place as normal in 2020.
Instead, families in the West Country held smaller-scale celebrations from Thursday 12 November so they could safely mark the festival of light at home.
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National Hindu Students Forum Bristol (NHSF) put together a video with committee members who shared how they would be spending the weekend.
Many said they would be in their halls of residence for Diwali and would be introducing their flatmates to the many Indian traditions.
Diwali takes place virtually as Covid forces alternative celebrations
What is Diwali?
Diwali is known as the festival of lights.
The five-day celebration is about new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. It is the most significant event in the Hindu, Jain and Sikh calendars and for each of those religious groups, it carries its own meaning.
It is usually enjoyed in large groups by sharing meals, praying, singing, lighting candles and holding firework displays.
This year, the most important day fell on Saturday 14 November.
In 2019, at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter's Hindu community welcomed people from across the city to share in the celebration of Diwali.
This year, a group video meeting was organised as an alternative for children to come together and show their drawings, decorations and crafts.
Samiksha Krishna owns Bristol Indian Food & Sweets, a family-run catering company just outside of the city.
During the lead-up to Diwali, she made and delivered homemade Indian sweets to families in Bristol, while thinking of ways for her family to mark the occasion differently this year.
The Mint Room, in Clifton, also created a bespoke Diwali menu.
Watch Charlotte Gay's report
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