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Residents and staff share joy and culture at Trillium Villa Diwali celebration
Henna, rangoli and traditional meals bring smiles and connection to everyone
11/3/2025
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Deron Hamel
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Trillium Villa celebrated Diwali on Oct. 20 in an atmosphere Tara Klompstra, the Sarnia long-term care community's life enrichment manager, describes as being filled with “joy, creativity and togetherness.”
Diwali, sometimes referred to as the “Indian festival of lights,” is a five-day celebration that has its origins in India. While it originated with people of the Hindu faith, the festival is celebrated in India by people of many religions, including Sikhism and Jainism.
The festival celebrates the victory of light over dark and good over evil and “is a time to spread love, hope and positivity,” Tara says.
As part of the celebration, residents enjoyed the beauty of henna, the ancient skin art that symbolizes joy, blessings and celebration through designs. Team members also created colourful rangoli patterns, which welcomes prosperity and happiness. Rangoli is made with coloured sand arranged in decorative, mandala-style designs.
Food is also an important part of Diwali, and the Trillium Villa food services team made sure there was plenty of authentic South Asian fare for everyone to enjoy.
A meal of curried sweet potato-lentil soup, butter chicken on basmati rice and vegetable samosas, along with a creamy tomato cucumber salad and mango ice cream for dessert, was served to residents, who chatted among themselves about their own memories of celebrations.
“Residents were overheard in the dining room talking about their meal and celebrations and traditions throughout today's cultural experience,” Brandy Charlton, the Trillium Villa food services manager, tells S&R Today.
Tara commends two team members in particular – life enrichment worker Manveer Kaur and physiotherapy assistant Jagruti Rai – for their hard work to ensure that the Diwali celebration was engaging for residents and an all-around success.
“Together, they were able to educate, share stories and remind us all of the beauty of multiculturalism and shared celebrations,” Tara says. “The ladies wore traditional attire and received many compliments, making the day beyond positive.”
Jagruti and Manveer say they enjoyed sharing their culture with residents and co-workers.
“It was a wonderful day of sharing culture, smiles and festive spirit with our residents and team,” Jagruti says.
“I am so proud to have shared my life with people who truly appreciate me and want to learn,” Manveer adds.
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