Diwali: Festival of Lights

The Festival of Lights is featured in many religions and cultures across the world, each with a different meaning and celebration, but in India, it is referred to as Diwali. Diwali is the mark of the Hindu new year and is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartika, around October for us. The festivities go on for almost five days and each day holds significance for the religion. The actual holiday is a religious one with a few different legends surrounding it, but the most popular is that it memorializes the return of Lord Rama (a Hindu deity referred to as The Ideal Avatar) after 14 years in exile and his conquest over a demon-king Ravana.

The observance of the festival is a beautiful one, fireworks and candles, lamps and bonfires, all of the light signifies the triumph of good over evil, or alternatively light over darkness.

All of India is illuminated for almost a week, the picture below is taken from a satellite during the festivities.

The chance to see India in all it’s glory is one of my dreams, this culture is so foreign to me and I have no greater wish then to experience it at this time of year when its heritage is on display for the entire world to ogle. I fully recommend giving this festival your full attention and researching it as much as possible, and hopefully at least one of us will be able to revel in it’s beauty. The pictures are only the slightest taste of the magnificence that can be experienced, imagine the light and the noise and all of the candles are something that needs to be seen in person, which is why i have added this festival to my bucket list of must sees before I die. I encourage you to add it to yours.