The Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka festival — Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Alameda County fairground — included dancing, fireworks, vendors, food, games and the ceremonial burning of a 40-foot effigy of Ravana, a villain in Hindu mythology. The organization’s website claims that it is the largest Indian celebration in North America.

California has the largest Indian American population among the states, at nearly 900,000. This year’s Diwali starts on Oct. 20, the 15th day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu lunar calendar.

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