The word meaning of Diwali also known as ‘Deepavali’ means an array of lamps. It is a festival to mark a new beginning and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. It is believed that on this day, Lord Rama and his wife Sita returned to their kingdom from an exile after defeating the demon king Ravan. celebrating Diwali is synonymous with having diyas, sweets, rangolis and lanterns. Diyas signifies getting rid of selfish and materialistic thoughts. The oil in the diya symbolizes negatives in the human mind. The wick is the symbol of atma or the self. The diya presents light when the oil is burnt by the wick. The light of the diya directs us towards happiness and pleasure in life.
Rangoli designs are created at the entrance of the house, as a symbol of welcoming the Goddess to the home. People create ‘Rangoli’ using rice, lentils, flower petals, turmeric and other spices. It is also made with colored chalk, rice powder and crushed limestone.
We can also never think of a Diwali without lanterns Traditional lanterns like Kandeels are hung for up to a month from the start of Diwali. The colorful lanterns are always tied above to indicate that God lives in the soul world with full of different virtues.
Families and friends share sweets and gifts and greet each other. It is an old tradition to consider sweets to be pure and it is a must in Diwali given as an offering to Gods. There are almost a hundred varieties of sweets like gujjiya, gulab jamun, barfi, ladoos the list goes on and on……
Wishing y’all a Happy Diwali! Let’s bring the light of unconditional love in our hearts and drive out all materialistic thoughts from our lives…….