[Photograph of a group of individuals at a Diwali celebration in Surrey]

Photograph of a group of unidentified individuals at a Diwali celebration held at the Surrey City Hall in British Columbia (B.C.). Among the group of individuals is Doug McCallum.

Doug McCallum is a former mayor of Surrey, British Columbia (B.C.). McCallum was first elected mayor in 1996, serving three consecutive terms after being re-elected in 1999 and 2000. He ran again in 2005 and 2014, losing both times before returning to the mayor's chair in 2018.

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.