#61: DIWALI - A Festival Of Lights

Diwali is one of the most popular and widely celebrated festival of India. It's a festival of lights and falls in the autumn season of every year. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali is not only celebrated at home but also in shops, temples, offices and buildings. The celebration starts in the evening and goes on till late night. People usually put on new clothes and light up their houses. Everyone dresses up in ethnic wear. While the women are seen in sarees, suits, lehengas etc., the men are dressed up in kurtas. The festival preparations and rituals extends over a five-day period. The preparation starts week before the festival itself. People clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. Diyas, candles and lamps are lit everywhere and the entire nation seems to glow on this night.

HISTORY :

Diwali is a festival which dates back to ancient times in India. There are many stories which revolve around it stating the cause of celebration. It is said that when Lord Ram returned to his home in Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman after completing their exile of 14yrs and defeating Ravana, the villagers illuminated their path with diyas and lit up the entire village to celebrate the victory of good over evil and their homecoming. Some people also celebrate Diwali to celebrate the return of Pandavas from 12yrs of exile. Furthermore, it's also linked to the celebration of Goddess Laxmi who is the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. The night of Diwali is supposed to be the day on which she married Lord Vishnu. People pray to her on this day to get her blessings and be blessed with mental, physical and material wellbeing during the year ahead.

PREPARATION :

The preparations for Diwali starts weeks before. People start cleaning, painting, renovating their houses, shops or offices. Buildings are lit with colorful lights and diyas days before the actual night. In some parts of the country people even buy gifts to give to their friends, relatives and neighbors. Diyas, crackers and colors are bought to decorate the house and make Rangoli.

CELEBRATION :

The celebration starts with making the Rangoli in the houses using colors or flowers and decorating it.

[PS: This looks small but it took me 3hrs to finish :D]

After this people dress up and proceed with the Puja(prayers) of Goddess Laxmi. Mantras are chanted, Aarti is done and sweets are distributed as Prasad to everyone.

Then comes the lighting of the diyas, lamps and electric lights and putting it in every room and decorating the balconies and parapets with it.

After this people usually visit their neighbor's and friend's home to wish and celebrate with them. Gifts and well-wishes are exchanged over delicious snacks and food. Some people also play cards and other games as their family tradition. Your sweet tooth will be satisfied on this night as sweets, chocolates and desserts will be found in abundance in each home!

Crackers are also burnt at night to mark the celebration. However, due to the increase in pollution, people have reduced or stopped bursting crackers now. It's termed as Green Diwali. Outside the houses, you'll mostly find kids with their parents burning sparklers and flower pots. This goes on for few hours and usually ends before midnight. With this the festival of Diwali comes to an end.

Diwali brings the society closer and everyone celebrates it with great enthusiasm. People get charitable at this time and take initiatives to give back to the community. The word Diwali means a row(avali) of clay lamps(diyas). It symbolizes the light that protect us from spiritual darkness. This day marks the triumph of knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, good over evil and love over hatred. The lights are lit throughout the night to prevent darkness and evil. It's a festival of light, joy and peace. I always look forward to celebrating it every year. :)

Cheers!

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It's my entry in the #culturevulture challenge by @eroche. It's a great initiative and I hope more people participate as it gives us a chance to know more about the festivals, food, culture and traditions of a country. My entry is for the theme: Festivals.

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