Thousands gather to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Bartlett, Illinois
The new year has started for the Hindu and South Asian communities across the country.
On Monday, Diwali was celebrated around the world, also known as the festival of lights. More than a billion people celebrated, including Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs.
In Bartlett, thousands of people gathered in the Havali, basking in the beautiful artwork called Rangoli, made out of sand and rice.
"The Rangoli that's created in the visitor center, it actually took 575 pounds of colorful sand to put together, however, it only took 66 volunteers in just four days to bring that beautiful Rangoli together," said Mauktik Dave, a BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir volunteer.
They're celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, one of the world's most significant and colorful festivals.
"Diwali is one of the largest Hindu festivals celebrated by millions around the world. Yesterday was the third day, also known as Diwali. Tomorrow we will be celebrating the Hindu New Year called Annakut," volunteer Pooja Patel said.
More than 10,000 people are expected to visit the sacred temple, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, where hundreds of vegetarian dishes will be offered, in celebration of Diwali. Inside, a vast "mountain of food" can be found, prepared and artfully arranged as a symbol of gratitude and devotion to Lord Krishna.
Hardik Baht said his family spent time in the kitchen preparing their offering.
"My wife, she woke up early in the morning and made those chapati, flatbread, wheat flatbread for the God, and we brought that in the morning at 6 a.m. So everybody make that for God and we put the offering to them," he said.
The theme for this year is "Harmony in Unity."
"How can we bring harmony in unity into our lives. There's three parts to it. First is harmony in the world," Dave said.
Harmony in the world, a time when division often fills the headlines, but Diwali offers an uplifting message of light prevailing over darkness and of communities joining together across cultures.
"It is the spirit of service, the spirit of volunteerism that anything good in this world has come because of unity," Dave said.