Mercer Masala brought color and culture to Cruz Plaza during Mehndi and Moonlight on Oct. 17 to celebrate Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. The event featured henna art, traditional food and painting, giving students a hands-on way to learn more about South Asian culture.
“The cultural significance of Diwali is about the victory of good over evil and light over darkness,” Mayan Patel ‘26, a member of Mercer Masala, said. “It commemorates Lord Rama’s return home, which was guided through light.”
As the evening went on, students lined up to receive detailed designs on their skin, which is painted on using mehndi. That compound is made of “the leaves of the henna plant ground into powder/paste and then used as dyes,” according to The Dominion Post, and it is commonly referred to as henna. The Dominion Post clarified that henna is the name of the plant and is a word derived from Arabic, whereas mehndi, which comes from a Sanskrit, is the leaf extract used for the art form. The natural dye is used to create temporary, intricate designs on the skin, similar to a tattoo.
“Henna is a big tradition in South Asia,” Patel said. “It’s used during weddings and celebrations, so we wanted to bring that to Mercer in a fun way.”
This year’s event marked Mercer Masala’s biggest celebration yet. “We’ve done similar events before, but never one this large,” Patel said. “Planning went smoothly thanks to our collaboration with QuadWorks. They helped us set up everything we needed to make the night enjoyable.”
The group also set up a casual cricket game, giving attendees a chance to try one of South Asia’s most popular sports. “Cricket is huge where we come from, so including it helped make the event feel authentic,” Patel said.
“It was really nice seeing so many people interested in learning about Diwali and trying things like henna or cricket,” Shreyan Ghelani ‘28 said. “For a lot of us, it’s special to celebrate something that connects us back to our roots while also bringing everyone together.”
As music played and fun filled the plaza, Mehndi and Moonlight offered a lively mix of tradition and community. “We just wanted to bring people together,” Patel said. “And I think we did exactly that.”
Griffin Xu '28 is a biology and journalism double major and first-year staff writer for The Cluster. In his free time he enjoys reading and spending time with his friends.
