Fireworks Light Up Nabe

By on October 1, 2006 8:37 pm in Events

aiafireworks.jpg

The 19th annual Deepavali Festival, an Indian-American event held at the South Street Seaport  today, culminated in a spectacular fireworks show viewable from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

 

Share this Story:
  • http://wadias.in/site/arzan/blog arZan

    You can find a series of videos and pictures of the event here

  • Bklyn Native

    I felt it was a bit insensitive to have a huge and noisy fireworks display just when Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the year for those of the Jewish faith had begun a few minutes before at sundown.

    You’d think that whomever is in charge of giving permits for fireworks displays would have been aware of that.

  • boo hoo

    Yes, Bklyn Native, everyone must be sensitive to everyone’s special needs all the time. No more fun if someone will be inconvenienced or troubled in any way. We must all observe everyone’s special and holy days and observances. Even if we don’t particularly believe them. Because we are all special fragile creatures.

  • Bklyn Native

    I was expecting a comment very much along the lines of what boo hoo scratched.

    It appears that the word “sensitive” is now verboten in modern discourse. It smacks too much of pc, right boo hoo? That word triggered some angry keyboard tapping behind your cable modem. My goodness, we’re being forced to be sensitive to our neighbors!!!!! An outrageous, un-American sentiment!

    Boo hoo’s response is just yet another indication that people are increasingly uncaring about their neighbors. They say the 70s were the “me decade”. This era we live in, IMHO, is unprecedented for selfish individualism, and widespread disregard for basic civility.

  • Bostonbrahmin

    Interesting … how do you resolve the conflicting observances of people living next to each other while being sensitive to everyone?

    You should know Bklyn Native that Diwali “the festival of lights” is the largest annual festival for the 1 billion hindus in the world. On the Indian subcontinent fireworks are a standard feature of Diwali. In the US Americans hindus are used to “widespread disregard” and lack of “basic civility” as far as their holidays are concerned. They don’t have any public or school holidays on their religious days, don’t get to buy supplies for Diwali, Holi etc at the local supermarket, don’t even get to light up a sparkler in some states because of US laws.

    I don’t think anyone was trying to be insensitive to jewish sentiments but you need to understand that loud and noisy fireworks are very much a part of Diwali which is the least acknowledged major holiday in the US.

    Would you expect fireworks to be cancelled on 4th of July or Chinese New Year? If not is it fair to complain about a rare and happy diwali display that some people travel great distances to see and site of all things sensitivity for your neighbors? Now that is selfish individualism!

  • alex k

    it’s one thing if you are aware of your insensitivity and you continue on your course unaware.. it’s another to be conscientious about your actions being insensitive and not care..

    on a lighter note, i remember the fireworks that day and after doing minimal research found out about some jewish holiday happening and thought that’s why there were fireworks :) how’s that for being misguided