Diwali is a Hindu festival that is primarily celebrated throughout India but it’s also celebrated in the United States as well. This beautiful five-day festival of lights is a religious holiday for Hindus as well as a few other religions every autumn.
So what’s it all about and why is Pyro City blogging about Diwali?
First, here is a little background on the holiday:
It is a spiritual festival offering prayers to Lakshmi – the goddess of prosperity. One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.”
The ‘Festival Of Lights’ is one of the most joyous occasions for Hindus and is also one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year in India as participants buy gifts for themselves, as well as for their friends and families.
It is celebrated in either October or November each year, and is believed to have originated to celebrate the last harvest before winter; eventually evolving into the important spiritual and commercial holiday that it is today.
How is it celebrated?
During the celebration, temples, homes, shops and office buildings are brightly illuminated. The preparations and rituals for the festival typically last five days, with the climax on the third day coinciding with the darkest night of the month.
Celebrators wear their finest clothes, illuminate their homes with candles, enjoy family feasts, share gifts, worship and light fireworks! Yep… FIREWORKS!
It’s the fireworks portion of the festival that Pyro City gets especially excited about.
Lighting the night with fireworks for Diwali!
Day three of Diwali is also called Lakshmi Puja and is the height of the festival. It is said that this night coincides with the last day of the dark fortnight of the lunar month. This is the day when Hindu and all of the rest of us who want to celebrate Diwali set their homes aglow with lights, use fireworks and enjoy Indian food in celebration of the annual holiday.
For Diwali, the lighting of fireworks is interpreted as a way to ward off all evil spirits as well as add to the festive mood. In addition, this ritual may also be linked to the tradition of paying respect to ancestors. The Diwali night’s lights and fireworks represent a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls.
Wanna celebrate Diwali this year? Here’s how:
The scale of celebrations has become such that popular U.S. tourist spots like Disneyland and New York’s Times Square get painted in vibrant Indian colors and banners that read: Happy Diwali. Even the White House has been celebrating the festival for many years. After all, there are 3.1 million Indian-Americans living in the United States.
It’s easy to celebrate Diwali with a wide-ranging group of people, and it has become a point of pride for many Indian Americans to share their culture. Commonly referred to as “Indian Christmas,” this Hindu New Year is a great opportunity to spread awareness about Diwali traditions while connecting diverse cultures and religions right here in the United States.
Whether you have a connection to the culture or not, it’s fun to celebrate Diwali. To start, show off the holiday with colorful lights and candles and come to Pyro City for sparklers and colorful fireworks. If you have guests, you can print the lyrics for some popular sing-alongs and demonstrate your best Diwali dance moves.
Another great way to share Diwali tradition is with an authentic “puja potluck” complete with tikka, curry, biryani, roti, poori, paneer, and plenty of desserts. For something more low-key, you can simply share traditional Indian sweets and Chai tea.
Check out a list of Diwali festivals in the United States: