LONDON, ENGLAND, October 17, 2005: London’s famous Trafalgar Square was transformed over the weekend to enable all Hindus based in the British capital to celebrate the “Festival of Lights,” Deepavali. On Sunday, crowds gathered at Trafalgar Square to watch dancers perform and visited stalls set up to give out information on the festival. During Deepavali, houses, shops and public places are decorated with lights, including mustard oil filled earthen lamps called diyas. The diyas are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings to decorate them. The lamps are lit to help the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, to find her way into homes of people. The festival also celebrates the return from 14 years of self-imposed exile of King Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshman to Ayodhya. The festival, which usually lasts for five days, celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. In Britain, as in India, the festival is a time for spring-cleaning the home and for wearing new clothes and most importantly, decorating buildings with fancy lights. The date of Deepavali is set by the Hindu calendar and so it varies in the Western calendar. It usually falls in October or November. Business people regard it as a favorable day to start a new accounting year because of the festival’s association with the Goddess of wealth. Deepavali is also used to celebrate a successful harvest. The name of the festival means “row of lights.”
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