DIWALI- Festival of Lights ! Why tour India. IX

Diwali

Water lanterns

This festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartika which falls sometime during October or November.
This year it will fall on Thursday , October 19.

It is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India,Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and recently Sindh Province in Pakistan.

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Diwali in Singapore!

People celebrate Diwali for several reasons, originated as a harvest festival that marked the last harvest of the year before winter. India was an agricultural society where people would seek the divine blessing of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, as they closed their accounting books and prayed for success at the outset of a new financial year.

One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed

It is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of Exile and his victory over the Demon Ravana. In many parts of India, Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days and is one of the most popular festivals in India. Hindus regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and relationships.

On the Diwali day, people put on rich clothes, exchanging greetings, gifts and the best part in my childhood used to be bursting fire crackers, man how I miss that! Recently the government kind of stopped the sale of crackers to control pollution! Its reasonable, but I kind of miss and feel sad how the children of the new generation wont know how amazing was Diwali during our times!

I am a Christian yet as a kid I remember how I used to wait the whole year for this day for new clothes and sweets and family get togethers and the crackers!