Western Diaspora

Diaspora Diwali celebrations have grown to the scale of major civic events, with Trafalgar Square in London hosting one of the largest public Diwali gatherings outside of India and Diwali on the Hudson in New Jersey drawing tens of thousands. The White House has hosted formal Diwali celebrations since 2003, and the British Parliament observes Diwali with formal candle-lighting ceremonies. Eid al-Fitr is now an officially recognized public holiday in several US cities and is increasingly accommodated through school closures and corporate inclusivity calendars. Texas's AT&T Stadium has hosted Eid prayers attracting tens of thousands of worshippers. The UK observes Eid Mela festivals in Trafalgar Square, Birmingham, and Manchester. Holi has become a fixture of multi-faith spring festivals across major Western universities. Krishna Janmashtami is observed at the major ISKCON temples in London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Vrindavan. Onam is celebrated by Kerala associations across the Gulf countries, the United States, and the United Kingdom with sadhya feasts that have grown into major social events. Mauritius, Trinidad, Suriname, Fiji, and South Africa preserve indentured-labor-era Hindu and Muslim communities whose festival observances retain unique nineteenth-century characteristics.