Deepawali or Diwali is one of the largest festival celebrated by Hindus across the world. In India it is celebrated by people of all religion, Hindus mostly for their religious belief and others to share their joy and celebrations. Diwali is celebrated in the month of Kartika.
There are many reasons for celebrating Diwali, the most popular one is the return of Ram, Laxman and Sita to Ayodhya after a period of 14 years in exile. Some part of the country celebrates the victory of Krishna over the demo Narakasura, and some associate the festival with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Some Hindus associate the festival with prayers to Saraswati, Durga, Kali, Ganesha and other Gods and Goddesses. Similarly Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs have their own reason for celebrating Diwali. Though the reasons may be different, but all of them celebrate victory of Good against evil and light over darkness.
All Hindus rich or poor celebrate it with grandeur. They wore their best dresses, decorates the houses, buy new stuff and prepare sweets to exchange with their non Hindu friends. As kids we used to enjoy lot of crackers and sweets, watch movies with friends and just have fun for an entire week. My father used to get bonus for Diwali and he used to spend on buying a new thing every Diwali along with new clothes for me. My mom used to light the entire house with Deepa’s and Rangoli. My entire city was decorated with lights. During night the environment is filled with cracker noise and sky sparkled with light.
The festival is celebrated over a period of 5 days.
Day 1: Dhanteras: People clean their homes and buy gold.
Day 2: Chaturdashi: People decorate their houses with Diya’s and draw Rangoli
Day 3: Lakhsmi Pooja: People pray to goddess Lakhsmi and celebrate the festival with burning crackers and eating sweets.
Day 4: Govardhan Pooja and New year: Celebrated as the start of the New year.
Day 5: Bhaidooj: Celebrated as love between brother and sisters.
I wish all of you a very Happy and Safe Diwali. There is lot of pollution post Diwali and it affects lot of us. I request you all to burn less crackers and enjoy eating more sweets and spend time with family. Covid is still around, so please maintain safe distance while you meet your friends and relatives.
