Diwali.
Diwali or Deepawali takes place every year sometime between October and November, but the exact date varies since it is based on the Hindu calendar. This year, it takes place on the 14th of November. It is known as the festival of lights and usually lasts for five days. The word ‘Deepawali’ is originally a Tamil word which means ‘row or series of lights’.
Diwali is significant for people all over India for a wide variety of reasons. It is a celebration of good triumphing over evil and the victory of light over darkness. Different legends are based on these themes. In northern India, Hindus celebrate the return of the deities Rama and Sita to their kingdom Ayodhya after defeating the evil king Ravana. Diwali also honours the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi. The lights and lamps (diyas) are considered to help guide the goddess into peoples’ homes and bring prosperity to their families! In the Bengal region, people also worship the goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil forces, during Deepwali. Diwali is also celebrated as a multi-day festival in the neighbouring country of Nepal, where people celebrate Lord Krishna’s victory over the evil king Narakaasura.
The festival is celebrated in various ways - families usually begin start preparing for the festive days by cleaning their homes weeks in advance and decorating it. New clothes and accessories are bought by family members and gifts are exchanged with friends. Gifts often include traditional sweets, dry fruits and other delicacies. Homes and buildings are decorated with different kinds of lights and diyas (an oil lamp usually made from clay) are lit everywhere. Children usually burst different crackers and there are massive fireworks displays. This, however, is being much more regulated by the State Governments in India with the aim of creating awareness among the masses about the tremendous air pollution caused due to bursting of crackers in the past few years. People are also choosing to be much more environmentally conscious and limiting the use of firecrackers during their Diwali celebrations.
Rangoli is a popular Diwali tradition as well. It is an art form that includes making beautiful patterns using colourful powders and flowers on the floor and near the entrances to our houses. This is considered to bring good luck to the family and also acts as a welcoming gesture when friends and family visit.
Celebrating Diwali for me has always been about togetherness and family (and lots of good food!). Growing up, I would get a week off from school for Diwali and the whole family would gather together in Bhopal, our hometown. We would celebrate the festival by decorating the house with string lights, candles (diyas) and flowers. As a child, I would also have rangoli making competitions with my cousins. We would spend hours making and decorating our rangolis and then getting our grandparents to judge which rangoli is the best!
On the auspicious Diwali day, we would all dress up in our new clothes, take photos and eat dinner together with everybody. Dinner would always be followed by a wide variety of desserts since we would always have a lot of gifted and homemade sweets. At night, all of us would stay up late and play rounds of tombola (bingo) and different card games which was the best way to end the festivities!