Diwali or Deepawali is the Hindu festival that celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhaya after 14 years in exile. On this day Indians across the globe mark the return of Lord Rama by celebrating with traditional Indian sweets and decorating the whole house in ghee lamps and decorative lights. It is also celebrated in the Sikh religion, for Sikhs in general, Diwali recognizes the day when Guru Hargobind was released from Gwalior Fort. Diwali to many people is a new beginning much similar to New Years. Many business turn over their new books at this auspicious time of the year and as you all may know our film industry races to grab this auspicious day for their releases.
But what does Diwali mean to you? BollySpice asked some of its regular members what Diwali was to them and here is what they shared with us:
Diwali is festival of lights. And its one of most awaited festival of the year. 😀 I love Diwali ‘cos we burn firecrackers 😀 eat tasty sweets 😛 Most importantly, it is celebrated because Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after an exile of 14 long years. SO this festival has a special meaning to me and the countdown of New Year begins from Diwali. ~Deepika
My family celebrates pretty simply with a puja at home, going to temple, and on various days of this week my parent’s friends come over or we go over to their houses to spend time with one another. But yea its a sweet time to get close with family and friends and of course to celebrate the day when Lord Ram came back from the forest after defeating Ravan. ~ Bahar
Diwali is a festival of lights. We celebrate the return of our Guru with lights, candles and fireworks. In Sikh tradition, Rama defeating Ravana and coming back home after years has no significance. Diwali shows the struggle of Sikhs against Mughal regime. For me personally, it is the celebration of our Guru returning. It is the day when we get to eat lots of sweets, good food, light firecrackers, enjoy and be happy! Whatever might be the reason, Diwali is a beautiful holiday and everyone can and should join in, come on, as if anybody could deny FOOD? ~ Satinder
Diwali isn’t celebrated elaborately in my country (Australia), however we do have little celebrations and let everyone know we celebrate it! Diwali is celebrated for many reasons- Krishna killing the demon Narakasura, Ram’s return to Ayodhaya as well as the start of the new financial year. To me, Diwali is a celebration for Maha Vishnu. It’s the festivals of lights, the celebration of the triumph of good over evil- it’s a day to celebrate with friends and family to remember our religion, our culture and to be proud of who we are. ~ Anjali
Diwali has to be one of my favorite times of year. People don’t usually associate Diwali with Sikhs but as a Sikh i know it is a very popular occasion amongst our community. Each year i eat lots of sweets…mmm jalebis…light lots of candles and then off to the Gudwara to see the fireworks. Unfortunately i will be missing out on the fireworks this year as i am going away for Diwali…but this means i get to spend it with more of my family!~ Sandy
Diwali to me is a time of celebration. A time to join your family and friends and celebrate the religious festival. We celebrate with lots of Indian sweet and decorating the whole house in diyas. (ghee lamps) Its a great time of the year for new beginnings. ~ Prathna
We here at Bollyspice wish everyone a very Happy Diwali!
