SINGAPORE - In celebration of Deepavali this year, the South East Community Development Council (CDC) and Mountbatten division brought together around 80 residents of various races and religions from South East District to celebrate Deepavali together with about 500 devotees of the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple at Ceylon Road on Wednesday (Oct 18).

They spent the morning of Deepavali understanding Hindu practices, the background of different deities and the significance of the festival.

This Deepavali celebration visit is the fifth instalment of the CDC's "Celebrating our Festivals" series, which aims to be a platform for Singaporeans from different faiths and races to experience and celebrate the major festivals in Singapore.

A guided tour of the 140-year-old temple was conducted for the volunteers and residents.

The temple itself has a rich history of multi-racial cohesiveness stemming from having Muslims, Buddhists and Christians donating to the rebuilding of the temple, and having a Chinese architect designing the temple's new look in 2003.

Yeoman Pok, 14, the youngest volunteer from the Racial Harmony Youth Ambassadors (RHYA) Programme, said: "Today, we were introduced to a variety of Deepavali snacks and some of the meaning behind the different Hindu practices during Deepavali, and I really appreciate the culture a bit more.

"It was a lovely celebration."