Before they could begin, they had to call on Lord Ganesh, the god with the elephant head, for a blessing. All Indians call on Ganesh before starting an event. After making a small offering to a golden idol of Ganesh, the real festivities began.

Over 300 people attended Diwali Nite, a cultural celebration, in the Memorial Union on Sunday. Dozens of people stood in the back of the Great Hall to watch the performance hosted by the India Student Association (ISA).

“It’s a festival of color and gaiety and lights,” said Ankur Gupta, ISA vice president.

Diwali is one of the most important celebrations in India. It is a celebration of the victory of good over evil and the dawn of a new year, said Deepak Srinivas, ISA cultural secretary.

It is also a celebration of the return of Lord Rama to his town after 14 years of exile. Supposedly, when he returned the villagers were so happy to see him that they lit rows of lamps along the streets. “Diwali essentially means rows of lit lamps,” Srinivas said.

“What we try to show on Diwali Nite is the different art forms, dances and music,” he said. “It’s a show that tries to showcase India and spread India here at ISU.”

This year’s celebration included several musical and dance performances as well as a fashion show displaying traditional and surprisingly modern Western clothing from India.

“I especially enjoyed the fashion show because of all the colors and things we don’t get to see much of,” said Mike Miller, assistant professor of design.

One student performed a musical piece on the Sarod, a traditional stringed instrument from India. Other students sang musical selections from Indian movies.

“I teach French and Spanish so for me it was really nice to see a different culture — the music and dance,” said Shari Miller, a high school teacher in West Des Moines.

She said her favorite was the Raas and Garba dance. The Garba, which originates in the state of Gujarat in West India, featured six women dancers in vibrant, flowing skirts.

“They twirl around making the stage look very colorful and lively,” Srinivas said.

For the Raas dance, six men joined the women on stage, bringing two pairs of sticks with them. They gave one pair of sticks to a woman and then the rest danced together, clicking the sticks in rhythm with the music.

After the performance, traditional Indian food was served for $7 per plate. This year, the students cooked the food themselves in MU facilities.

“This year the food was much better,” said Kristine Bendixen, a graduate student in chemical engineering. “Last year they had the Union staff cook the food. It was bland; they didn’t use enough spices.”

“Whoever cooked it ought to open a restaurant in Ames,” Baer said.

Diwali always falls in late October or early November. This year the holiday was celebrated Nov. 10 in India, but the Great Hall could not be reserved for that date.