The blessing, Gupta said, is a reminder that God always is with us.

“Each of us has a God inside of us,” she said. “We give respect to each other in this way.”

Diwali, which also is known as the festival of lights, is a national holiday in India and is the biggest day on the Hindu calendar. Diwali is a centuries-old celebration that glorifies good over evil, Gupta said.

“It’s about coming and loving each other,” Gupta said. “It’s giving a harmony to all of society.”

The battle between good and evil is how the holiday became called the festival of lights, said Parth Dave, a microbiology graduate student and a chair on the ISO executive board. The candles and firecrackers represent purity, and by lighting as many as possible, people can ward off the evil around them, he said.

“It’s the illumination of light over darkness, because that’s what the demons represent,” he said. “We try to shed light over the rest of the world.”

Chemistry graduate student Arvind Jaganathan grew up in India and said ISO’s celebration at MSU reminded him of life at home.

“It’s a big thing back home,” Jaganathan said. “It’s probably the one festival where you see people from every part of the country celebrate. It’s nice to know that people who live in the U.S. want to celebrate Diwali.”

The holiday was celebrated internationally on Oct. 17, but ISO instead held its celebration this weekend. Diwali comes three days before the Indian new year, so people can celebrate the good parts of life before another year, Dave said.

“You want to start the new year hoping for the best,” Dave said. “Everyone shuts down (businesses) and celebrates the year that went by, hoping that the next year will bring them just as much luck, if not more.”