Happy Diwali!

Happy Diwali!

What is Diwali, you may ask yourselves. Well, Diwali (aka Dewali, Devali, and Deepavali) is the Hindu festival of lights. While it is primarily celebrated by Hindu people, it's also celebrated by practitioners of Jainism, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Muslims in India. Diwali is the celebration of victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. 

Appropriate for a time known as the "festival of lights", it's celebrated by lighting diyas, a kind of oil lamp. Candles and lanterns are also lit at homes and temples, and fireworks are fired off.  Among Hindus, a ritual oil bath is had at dawn on every day of Diwali. Yeah, it's a five-day festival. Usually, Diwali falls around mid-September to mid-November. Basically, it's celebrated at the end of the summer harvest. 

Homes are decorated with long strips of fabric called jhalars, and the floors are decorated with rangoli designs. The festival is also centered around family. It's a time for family to get together, do some bonding, and remember departed ancestors. Families enjoy feasts and have desserts called mithai.

Towns and cities organize events, parades, and dance performances to celebrate Diwali. It also holds religious significance to Indians, as the holiday is associated with Lakshmi (goddess of prosperity), Ganesha (god of wisdom), and Rama (one of the supreme beings of Hindu myth). Various places in India have rituals that connect the holiday to various other gods and goddesses.

So, yeah. If you wondered what Diwali was about, hope this gives you a basic idea of it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!