The most popular Hindu festival, Diwali, the festival of lights, falls on the 12th November this year. The five days of celebrations begin with Hindu rituals and fireworks amidst the festivities and, of course, delicious food shared with family and friends. The festival, which gets its name from the Sanskrit for “row of lanterns”, lands on a different date every year depending on the Hindu calendar and sees celebrants lighting diyas, to signify the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil among the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities.
There are so many traditions to mark the occasion regionally. In Varanasi on the bank of the river Ganga, prayers are recited by the river with an array of floating clay lanterns making it such a stunning sight. I was fortunate enough to visit Andhra on one of my travels to India and attend a Satyabhama puja (a Hindu worship ritual) which was vibrant, full of colour and tranquility, followed by the beginning of Diwali celebrations. Whilst in the east of India, the locals in Odisha pay their respects to their ancestors and burn jute sticks to bring in abundance and good fortune.
Celebrations, joy and sharing the festivities with family and friends are what unites us as a nation and community. Diwali is one of my favourite times of the year and takes me back to my home in Mumbai, India. The festivities are marked with a sense of euphoria and excitement, and our home was always filled with lots of sweets and savoury snacks throughout the weeks of celebrating. My mum always made sure we had new clothes made in time for the puja and our home was filled with family and friends every evening.
My family always had a puja to seek blessing, give thanks and to mark the event. My mother would teach me how to add rangoli at the entrance of the house, a powder in vibrant colours that marked the sign of letting all the positivity, good fortune and happiness make its way into our home.