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Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George was spotted attending the 10th annual Diwali Dussehra Festival for the Greater Houston area on Oct. 18.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Diwali is one of the most important religious festivals in Hinduism that's celebrated for five days from the 13th day of what is considered the dark half of the lunar month, Ashvina, to the second day of the light half of the lunar month, Karttika, which falls typically in either October or November.
"The 10th annual Diwali Dussehra Festival was a vibrant and exciting event. It is the largest Diwali Festival held in the Greater Houston area. I was honored to be a guest," said Judge George in a tweet.
With populations in countries across the globe, the U.S., in particular, is home to around 2.2 million Hindus, which comprise 0.70% of the total population in the country, according to the World Population Review. In India, almost 80% of the population is Hindu.
Celebrated as a public holiday in India, Dussehra honors and praises the victory of good over evil through special prayer meetings and food offerings to the gods at home or in temples, and government offices, post offices, banks and businesses may have reduced hours or be closed altogether. Celebrations can also include large parades with effigies and outdoor fairs called melas similar to Houston's Diwali Dussehra Festival, according to Time and Date.
While celebrations and traditions surrounding the holiday change across denominations and locations, for Hindus the most common custom is the lighting of diyas, which are small earthenware lamps filled with oil, on the night of the new moon in order to invite the presence of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, according to Britannica.
County Judge George was elected on Jan. 1, 2019, and currently oversees Ford Bend County’s more than 3,000 employees and nearly $500 million budget.