Source: www.hinduismtoday.com
USA, November 7, 2010: The popular Hindu festival of Diwali was celebrated all over the globe on November 4-5, by Hindus and many of their non-Hindu friends.
Diwali (or Deepavali, “row of lights”) is celebrated by Hindus worldwide to commemorate the triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, hope over despair.
If you rolled a bit of Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July all into one, then catered the affair with mountains of sweets and savory snacks, you would have a taste of what it means to celebrate Diwali, India’s best-known festival. It is a day of Hindu solidarity, when all Hindus gather in love and trust. It is observed by lighting rows of oil lamps and exchanging greeting cards, clothing and other gifts. Family bonds are strengthened and forgiveness sought. For many, Diwali marks the beginning of the new year. Joyous festivities and parties abound.
Oil-wick lamps are lit in every household, along with colorful strings of electric lights, causing the home, village and community to sparkle with dancing flames. The festival falls on the day before the new moon in the month of Ashwin (October/November). Communities spare nothing in celebration. Lavish spreads of sweets and treats reflect unfettered partying. Families reach out to each other with gifts of sweets, dried fruit and crunchy, salty treats. Everyone wears colorful new clothing and many even new jewelry. Girls and women decorate their hands with henna designs.
The following day, families offer special prayers to Lakshmi for a prosperous year. This ritual worship is also directed to Kubera, the celestial being who dis- tributes wealth to mortals. As Hindus pray for comfort and the family’s
material wealth, it is believed that things should not be given away or donated on this one day of the year.
Read more about Diwali in the Hindu Festivals for the Media project here. Help your community understand your Hindu celebrations by downloading a free pdf and taking it to your local newspaper. Diwali speaks of values that everyone understands: light over darkness, good over ignorance, triumph of the virtuous.