The Festival of Lights!
The annual festival of Diwali is upon us once again and, as one of the most well-known of the Hindu festivals, people are celebrating en-masse. Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is an Indian festival which last for five days and greatly honours Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The word Diwali comes means ‘rows of lighted lamps’ and during the five days all public places will be decorated with lights and small lamps, known in the Hindu language as diyas.
Diwali also symbolises the start of the new Indian business year and many Hindus will pray for a successful continuation for their livelihoods. The festival of Diwali also has other significant meanings in people lives asides from the traditional lighting of the lamps. Many will take this time of the year as an opportunity to have a huge clean out of their homes and also to purchase and buy new clothes. They will also exchange gifts, food and sweets with their neighbours and friends. As with many western festivals, the use of fireworks to accompany the celebrations will be used.
In essence, the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Although the festival will take place around the entirety of India, different regions have variations on their celebrations and will attribute payer to different gods. In the north of India, Diwali is most commonly celebrated in relation to the return of King Rama who was exiled for fourteen years; in Gujarat the festival is dominated by celebration of the goddess Lakshmi; in Nepal the festival is more to commemorate Lord Krishna and his victory over an alleged demon king; in Bengal the goddess Kali is the centre of attention.
Regardless of the reasons that the population of India celebrate Diwali, it is a time when the nation comes together and honours the various beliefs of their country. It is a time of peace, fun and most importantly celebration! If you want to learn more about Diwali and its origins then there are several professional translation services who have made it possible for traditional literature to be available in a multitude of languages. Regardless of the language or dialect you speak, you can find a wealth of information on this festival online so don’t hesitate to check it out now!
It feels so wonderful to read about diwali. you made my day. Im a college student studying in South India, although im from Bengal, it sucks so bad to be alone in a hostel when I know that my parents and family are celebrating Kali Puja at home.. your post made me feel slightly better, thanks for writing about this awesome festival of ours, wherever you are now, hope youre having an unbelievably fun time
I’m so glad you enjoyed my article
Happy Diwali to you!
The same to you ^_^
A nice summary of what Diwali means.
Happy Diwali!
Happy Diwali to you too!
Thank you for sharing with me a beautiful representation of how people celebrate the good and BE the light.
I once experienced Diwali on the island of Trinidad. It was memorable on many levels. Thanks also for stopping by Fried Neck Bones…and Some Home Fries.
Beautiful briefing of Diwali Festival of Lights!
It’s lovely to hear of other cultures’ traditions. Thank you for sharing.
nice summary of diwali…
while it means triumph of good over evil, its symbolised by ravana being ousted and rama winning the battle. simple stories teach so much more about life than we realise, but sometimes these things get so lost in rituals..?
would be interesting to know if there are other such ‘good triumphs evil’ festivals across the world!
today, in india, the big issue with diwali is that it ends up becoming a rather noisy festival. being the festival of lights and noise rather these days. so the firecrackers come out with a big boom! however, whats great is that over the last 3 years due to sustained awareness building campaigns the decibel levels have been steadily falling…
An interesting post. Thank you.
Wonderful display of cross-cultural familiarity