The Labor government has admitted that a mistake was made in organizing the Hindu festival of Diwali – which Downing Street has celebrated since 2009 – which commemorates the triumph of light over darkness and lasts five days in the autumn.
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Conservative MP Shivani Raja said she was “deeply concerned” that meat and alcohol were served at the celebration. This shows, she said, “a disappointing lack of understanding of the customs and traditions dear to many British citizens”.
Although Hinduism does not strictly prohibit the consumption of alcohol and meat, many Hindus are vegetarians and do not drink alcoholic beverages.
“We understand the sensitivity of this issue and we would like to apologize to the (Hindu) community and assure them that this will not happen again,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
The celebration took on particular importance with Rishi Sunak, the first Hindu at the head of the British government, between October 2022 and last July. He was filmed with his family lighting candles on the steps of Downing Street.
Around one million people identified themselves as Hindu in 2021 in England and Wales, according to the population census.
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