Courtesy Srinivasan

Courtesy Srinivasan

Courtesy Siva Subramanian

Courtesy Siva Subramanian

Courtesy Siva Subramanian

AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh

AP Photo/Manish Swarup ( 1 /7)

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is Monday. More than a billion people around the world are celebrating the five-day festival.

Diwali is derived from the word “Deepavali,” which means “a row of lights.”

Virginia State Sen. Kannan Srinivasan, who represents eastern Loudoun County, said Diwali brings people of all faith together to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness.

He pointed out that thousands of different kinds of sweets will be exchanged along with gifts, like clothes, during the festival.

“Look at the shopping. Oh, my God, this is the number one shopping time in India. And you’re ta

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