As Neasden Temple opened its doors to celebrate Hindu New Year, thousands came flooding in to pay their respects and mark the first day of the year.

For parts of north India, Hindu New Year falls on the day after Diwali , making Friday (October 20) the day of the New Year celebrations this year.

Neasden Temple (BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandi) in Brent is one of the largest Hindu temples outside of India and each year it attracts thousands of people marking Diwali, boasting the largest celebrations in the country.

People from all communities are invited to the temple for prayers, feasting, and to enjoy the traditions and rich culture of the Hindu faith.

Yogi Shah, volunteer at the Temple, told getwestlondon: "It's all about celebrating, we see colours, the food, we saw tens of thousands of people coming to worship the start of the New Year with worshipping god.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit Neasden Temple to celebrate Hindu New Year

"There is a saying that we have that however you start off the first day of the year, that's how the year's going to go.

"So why not start it on a good footing, coming to offer devotion to God."

Hindu New Year falls the day after Diwali

He added: "It's not just Diwali as the festival of lights, it's also about the day after, Hindu New Year, not many people actually know about the Hindu New Year.

"I know a lot of people know about Diwali but the Hindu New Year is very important to us, especially to those of us from northern India."

A mountain of beautifully presented vegetarian food, including a miniature Tower of London made purely out of sweet treats, is presented in offering and thanksgiving, but if you thought all of that scrumptious looking food was going to go to waste, you can think again.

A mountain of vegetarian food is presented as an offering

Yogi explained: "At the end of the day, all the food will be taken back and distributed out to devotees and people in the local community so nothing is wasted."

New Year celebrations at the Temple continue until 9pm on Friday (October 20).

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