US president, Barack Obama, would celebrate Diwali "the festival of lights" along with other members of the community at the White House next week.
"At the East Room ceremony, the president will observe Diwali, or the "Festival of Lights," a holiday celebrated across faiths," the White House announced last evening.
It came along with the announcement that Obama on October 14 will also sign an Executive Order restoring the White House Advisory Commission and the Interagency Working Group to address the issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Though Diwali celebrations in the White House were started by George W Bush, the former US president never personally participated in the celebrations, leaving his top administration officials to grace the occasion.
Diwali was also not celebrated in the main White House, but in the building attached to it. This is for the first time that the festival would be celebrated in the East Room of the White House, with Obama himself present there to celebrate the
festival of lights.
