By Klyde Java

As the week-long Diwali holiday celebration kicked off around the world, the Outer Sunset Farmer’s Market drew hundreds of residents to its own Diwali festival on Oct. 19.

The event included activities such as chai samplings, demonstrations on how to wear an Indian sari and traditional kathak dances from the SF Kala Kendra dance troupe. Diwali, a holiday venerated by a billion around the globe, is the Hindu festival of lights, celebrating the “victory of light over darkness,” according to the festival’s project manager, Shalini Desroches.

“Diwali primarily started off in India by (those with) Hindu religious backgrounds, but now it has become a big cultural celebration,” Desroches said. “A lot of people who celebrate Diwali see it as a new beginning. They’re entering this new chapter with light, hope, joy and celebration.”

Many who grew up with the holiday said the Farmers Market’s rendition of Diwali brought back childhood memories. Author and RichmondSunsetNews.com’s “Cooking Together” columnist Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff was raised in Gujarat, India. She has seen many Diwalis throughout her lifetime.

“When I was little, my mother would make sweets and she would hide them until Diwali,” Nimbark Sacharoff said. “I must have been like 5. But we made sweet chutneys, and we also gave out some sweets.”

Food plays a significant role in how Diwali is celebrated. Dishes served with homemade chutneys, and sweets such as jalebi are essential to the dinner table.

“We don’t exchange gifts, but we exchange food,” Nimbark Sacharoff said.

Many Sunset District residents unfamiliar with the holiday’s significance said they were pleasantly surprised to discover this cultural event. Children played with Rangoli-themed coloring books at the market’s Artship, while others were enamored to see the silky and vibrant saris on display.

Outer Sunset resident Celia Lobuono Gonzalez modeled for the day’s sari demonstrations. While it was not her first time celebrating Diwali, this was her introduction to traditional Indian clothing.

“The saris are really beautiful,” Gonzalez said. “I think it’s really beautiful that the saris are just really wonderful pieces of fabric with such detail and thoughtful creativity. It’s wonderful that they’re worn in so many different capacities.”

Resident Rick Sugarek, who attended the event, said he finds multiculturalism to be one of the City’s best traits.

“It’s getting to be a smaller and smaller world,” Sugarek said. “It’s great to live in San Francisco, where there’s so many cultures coming together.”

The Outer Sunset Farmers Market is held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is located at 37th Avenue from Ortega to Quintara streets. For more information, visit sunsetmercantilesf.com/osfmm.