By Nicole Chan
It was a busy week on campus with Homecoming, Halloween and more — check out our latest coverage.
Diwali celebration at Stamp
By Kendrick Brown
On Oct. 28, students and community members came together in the Stamp Student Union ballroom to celebrate one of the most important Hindu holidays: Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
The event, hosted by the BAPS Campus Fellowship, consisted of 2 parts: 30-minutes of booths, each one focusing on the application of the beliefs of Diwali traditions, and an hour-long program explaining the history of Diwali and the significance of its beliefs and representation.
Diwali means different things to everyone, but the overarching theme is forgiveness. It connects back to the tale of Ramayana, where Lord Ram returns to Ayodhya following a 14-year exile and his defeat of the demon king Ravana. The fact that he’s being allowed to come back to Ayodhya after exile shows his previous action against the city being forgiven in the face of the fact that he could change and aid them.
During the second section of the event, speaker Swami Ghahmaran Das brought up a story about the former leader of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who forgave terrorists that attacked his temple. Maharaj believed that all of these actions are those of God and thus there’s no value in hating people for their transgressions against you and perpetuating a cycle of violence.
Das concluded his speech by saying:“If we are able to forgive, if we are able to move on and look towards the future, then we will be able to light the diyas (lamp) in our hearts and look through it into a brighter, more peaceful future.”
From “Live from New York” to “Live at the University of Maryland”: Marcello Hernandez Visits Campus
By Shannon Raneri
On Oct. 26 at the Xfinity Center, Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernández headlined UMD’s Homecoming Comedy Show presented by SEE.
Hernández brought fellow comedian Matt Richards and Tommy Brennan, a current SNL Featured Player and one of their newest members. Richards opened the night with jokes about the current political environment of the country, which Brennan followed with a comedic twist on his unusual upbringing.
As Hernández ran to the stage to begin his set, he was met with thunderous applause. Hernández once opened for Colin Jost at Ritchie Coliseum for the Homecoming Comedy Show in 2022. In addition to Jost, previous headlines have included Eric André, Leslie Jones and Kevin Hart.
Hernández’s set poked fun at today’s political scene, current events and culture, making light of heavy topics and relating to the audience. Freshman biological sciences-microbiology track Jasper Thomas found the relatable jokes the most funny.
“[Hernández] had jokes about Maryland. There were some jokes about his relationships… and I think that’s funny,” Thomas said.
Senior neuroscience major Hailey Reyes “laughed at every single joke he said”, later adding that, because she’s Hispanic, she “could [relate] to his immigrant jokes. When he would talk about his family, I could relate to them… it was just, overall, super funny and relatable as well.”
The comedy show was one of numerous events that took place during UMD’s homecoming week. Other notable events included the Food Truck Festival and annual Terp Carnival on Oct. 31, and the Maryland Terrapins vs. Indiana Hoosiers football game on Nov. 1.
Featured Image: A sign promoting the Homecoming Comedy Show with Marcello Hernández. Photo by Miller Rogers-Tetrick.