Diwali
The Hindu festival of lights
There are so many celebrations in the Hindu year that Hinduism has been described as a religion of fasts, feasts and festivals. Diwali is a festival of lights, and clay oil lamps, or diyas, are lit in and around the house, giving the festival its name: Dipawali or Diwali, which means a row of lamps.
Everyone decorates their houses and friends and family are invited for a feast in which Indian sweets are particularly important. Rangolis – a traditional Indian art form, whose motifs are often linked with symbols of good luck – are drawn with different coloured powders on the courtyards and walls of houses to welcome guests.
The festival lasts four days, but the day of Diwali itself is considered an auspicious day for starting anything new, and marks the beginning of the financial year.
The first day of the festival commemorates the defeat the of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. On the second day, Hindus believe that Goddess Lakshmi will fulfil the wishes of her followers. On the third day the demon king Bali is believed to emerge from his exile and on the fourth day, sisters invite their brothers to their homes.
In Northern India, Diwali is seen as marking the return of Ram along with Sita and Lakshman from 14 years of exile after killing Ravana. To commemorate his return to Ayodhya, Ram's subjects lit up the kingdom and set off firecrackers. Gujaratis and Marwaris worship Goddess Lakshmi, and Bengalis worship Goddess Kali or Durga.
Happy New Year!
Happy Diwali!
