Diwali
Diwali, or Dipawali, is the festival of lights and India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The word Diwali is derived from the word Dipawali which means – a row of lights. It is one of the most awaited and the most celebrated festivals of India. This festival is symbol of the victory of light over darkness. This festival lasts for around five days and starts from the thirteenth day of the dark half of the lunar month to the second day of the light half of the lunar month Karthika.
During the festivals, it is found that the houses are well decorated with flowers, lights, candles, and diyas(traditional earthware diyas filed with oil). Colorful rangolis(designs made on floor with sand or rice or flower petals) are found in front of every house on the floors which create a festive environment. Also, all the doors and windows are kept open during the festival which resemble the belief of Goddess Lakshmi entering the houses.
People from different places in India celebrate Diwali in a different way. In North-India, it is celebrated in the joy of the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya city after defeating the 10-headed demon king Ravana. In South-India, the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon king Narakasura is celebrated by lighting up candles or diyas in a row. In some other places, Diwali is considered as a celebration of the marriage of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laksmi.
Now let’s know more about the festivals and its five day celebration in detail.
First Day - Dhanteras
On the first day of Diwali, everyone stays busy with the cleaning of house and decorating it. On this day, people buy gold as it is believed that buying items of gold on Dhanteras brings fortune to the house.
