Secaucus’ Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Temple welcomed hundreds of community members, both Indian and non-Indian, to its community open house on Saturday.
Among the attendees were Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli and members of the Town Council, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Anthony Vainieri, Democratic nominee for Hudson County freeholder.
The open house was held alongside its Diwali/Indian New Year celebrations to educate community members about the traditional cultural practices that Diwali entails.
The open house festitivies began with a traditional candlelighting ceremony led by Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council.
The ceremony was followed by a tour of the temple and various community activities.
There was also a series of presentations featuring topics related to Hinduism.
The open house’s community activities included, among other things, the presentation of an Annkut, which is a specially arranged “Mountain of Food” with an autumn/harvest theme that featured more than 350 vegetarian dishes.
The day also included an interactive fair featuring sand art, the playing of various Indian music, and a chance for participants to try on Indian attire, jewelry, and tattoo art.
A cricket match featuring the Swamibapa Cricket Club was also played.
The temple, which opened in 2001, is located at 200 Penhorn Ave.