WATCH: United Diwali Aarti brings light and unity to Kibler Park
Devotees gathered at La Venue for a heartfelt community aarti, celebrating Diwali’s message of love, togetherness, and spiritual renewal.
The 2025 United Diwali Aarti, held on October 20 at La Venue (GBS Foundation) in Kibler Park, embodied the spirit of a united community.
The event fostered a sense of togetherness, reflecting the festival’s themes of light and unity.
Devotees gathered for a heartfelt community aarti prayer, marking the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
@southern.courierDevotees gathered for a heartfelt community aarti prayer, marking the auspicious occasion of Diwali. A significant highlight was an aarti, a sacred Hindu prayer conducted by a guru, adding spiritual depth to the celebrations.♬ original sound – Southern Courier
A significant highlight was an aarti, a sacred Hindu prayer conducted by a guru, adding spiritual depth to the celebrations.
Attendees brought along their aarti trays, contributing to the ceremony.
A Diwali aarti is a ritual of offering light to the deity, especially the Goddess Lakshmi, to show complete love and devotion to God.
@southern.courierThe 2025 United Diwali Aarti, held on October 20 at La Venue (GBS Foundation) in Kibler Park, embodied the spirit of a united community. The event fostered a sense of togetherness, reflecting the festival’s themes of light and unity.
It is a ceremony to welcome the divine, dispel darkness, and receive blessings, accompanied by bhajans (devotional hymns in Hinduism) and prayers.
The circular movement of the lamp symbolises the sun’s cycle and the eternal cosmic energy that sustains life.
Meaning of the ritual
The word aarti comes from the Sanskrit words ‘aa’ (complete) and ‘rati’ (love), so the ritual expresses one’s complete love for God.
Dispelling darkness: The light from the lamp represents the banishment of dark and negative forces, both physically and spiritually.
Symbolic journey: The clockwise movement of the lamp symbolises the sun’s path and the eternal, cyclical nature of time and life.
How it is performed
• Offering light: The ritual involves circling a lamp with a flame or camphor in a clockwise direction, often with multiple wicks representing purity and goodness.
• Singing bhajans: It is performed while singing bhajans and prayers, which are an integral part of the ceremony.
• Offerings: Devotees make offerings such as flowers and sweets, known as prasad, meaning blessed food.
Several community organisations and NPOs sponsored and endorsed the event.
The GBS Foundation, JSHCO (Johannesburg South Hindu Cultural Organisation), Village of Love, and the Shiv Shakti Mandir all contributed to the event.
Their support underscored the communal harmony and collective celebration of Diwali.
