As millions around the world celebrated the first day of Diwali on Monday, those marking the festival in Toronto had an additional reason to celebrate: the city’s mayor officially proclaimed Oct. 20, 2025 to be Diwali Day.
Rinku Shah, CEO and founder of the Diwali Festival of Lights in Toronto, said she is thrilled with the proclamation.
“For the past two years, we’ve been waiting for this proclamation, and finally she accepted, the mayor accepted. We are very happy, the whole team is working very hard for this,” Shah said.
Chow told a gathering at city hall that the proclamation of Diwali Day in Toronto is a first in the city’s history. Diwali, also known as the Hindu festival of lights, is a five-day event that people around the world celebrate with gatherings, lights, fireworks and feasts.
Diwali is derived from the word “Deepavali,” meaning “a row of lights.” The dates of the festival are based on the Hindu lunar calendar, typically falling in late October or early November.
The festival is also observed by Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.
“It’s about light overcoming darkness, hope over despair, and good over evil. And in this divisive time, it is important to recognize why diversity and inclusiveness is strength. And that’s what Toronto is about,” Chow said Monday.
‘It’s about celebrating who we are’
The mayor said celebrating each other’s cultures is “extremely important” because doing so helps to foster a sense of belonging among people who have made Toronto home.
“It’s not just about the singing and the dancing and the food. It’s about belonging and it’s about celebrating who we are as a city and as a country.”
Members of the South Asian community in Toronto listen as Mayor Olivia Chow speaks at a Diwali reception at city hall on Monday. (Pelin Sidki/CBC)
In the 1970s and 1980s, people in Toronto who came from other countries would “hide their chopsticks,” their food and even their parents because they did not feel comfortable putting cultural differences on display, Chow said.
That feeling of not belonging did not build confidence and held people back, she added. That feeling brought shame, she said.
“That is all gone, hopefully all gone,” Chow said. “Toronto shines brightest when we embrace all communities and cultures.”
City councillors Neethan Shan, Rachel Chernos Lin and Dianne Saxe were among those who attended the reception at city hall.
In the official proclamation, the city says: “On Diwali Day, we recognize and celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of the South Asian community that form an important part of the City of Toronto’s motto: ‘Diversity our Strength.'”
Meanwhile, on Monday night, Brampton was scheduled to host a family-friendly Diwali celebration at Sesquicentennial Park that was to include a fireworks display.
