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Diwali is the Indian “festival of lights”—celebrating the triumph of good over evil.
The word Diwali (or Deepavali as it’s sometimes called) means “row of lights” in an Ancient language of India, called Sanskrit. During this festival, people decorate their homes with lights and oil lamps, called diyas.
Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Lord Ram killed Ravana (Dusshera) and rescued Sita from captivity in Lanka. The celebration marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. To welcome Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman, the entire city was decked up and the people decorated the city with diyas (earthen lamps) to welcome their king.
This five-day festival starts with Dhanteras, which celebrates and welcomes good luck, wealth and prosperity. On Dhanteras people buy jewellery and utensils because any kind of metal is believed to ward off bad luck and usher in wealth and prosperity. Dhanteras is followed by Chhoti Diwali, Diwali, Govardhan Puja and finally, Bhai Dooj marks the end of this festival.
As we clean our home before Diwali, we may also need to deep clean our mind from all the negativity and dirt.
Rangoli is a popular Diwali tradition- beautiful patterns made using colourful powders and flowers. People draw rangoli on the floor by the entrance of their homes to welcome the gods…
