[Photograph of religious idols and a group of individuals at a Diwali celebration in Vancouver]

Photograph of religious idols and a group of unidentified individuals at a Diwali celebration held at the Vancouver City Hall in British Columbia (B.C.).

The religious idols depict Lord Ganesha and Lord Jagannath. Lord Ganesha is a Hindu deity and is considered the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors. He is generally depicted as potbellied and elephant-headed. He is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is also known as Ganapati. Lord Jagannath is a deity in Hinduism, regarded as an incarnation and manifestation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Jagannath is considered as a non-sectarian deity because of his manifestations in other religions, such as Buddhism and Jainism. The deity is worshipped across India but especially in Puri, Odisha, at the Jagannath Temple.

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is a major religious festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, and translates to "the Festival of Lights." The festival lasts five days: the first day is known as Dhanteras; followed by Choti Diwali; Lakshmi Puja, which is the main celebration; Govardhan Puja; and finally Bhai Dooj. The festival is typically marked by the cleaning and decorating of homes, as well as the lighting of diyas and rangoli designs. Each region in India and religion has their own manner of celebrating Deepavali and their own gods to be worshipped.