Nowadays, Delhi is getting ready for Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights. This year Diwali starts on Friday the 5th of November and will be celebrated during 5 days.
For most of the Indians it is the biggest festival and the day when they want to be with their families and perform the prayers together in their homes. We can compare it with our Christmas.
The history of Diwali is replete with legends and these legends are moored to the stories of Hindu religious scriptures, mostly the Puranas. Though the central theme of all legends point out to the classic truth of the victory of the good over the evils, the mode of their presentation and the characters differ. Diwali, being the festival of lights, lighting the lamp of knowledge which means to understand and reflect upon the significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to the day to day lives.
As it is the first time we will be experiencing Diwali, I have asked friends, my cleaning lady, the taxi drivers,… all the details about it. On the Internet I could also find some more information about it, and I thought it could be interesting to share it with you.
On Diwali day, shops remain open in Delhi till the afternoon, believing that good sales on Diwali day predict a prosperous year ahead.
The process of buying and distributing Diwali gifts begins several days before the big day. Sweets and dry fruits are the most common gifts, as are silver coins. But gifts also range from silver dishes and other household gifts to suit-pieces.
As, it is celebrated on the new-moon (Amavasya) night, lights and fireworks have a significant role to play in this festival. This is why, when Indians hear the name Diwali, the first impression that flashes through their minds is of multicolored and impressive fireworks, sprinkling various sorts of bright colored lights in the night sky. Although the tradition of fireworks on Diwali is not very old, still they have succeeded in becoming such a vital part of the festival.
Last Monday I had the honor to be invited at a pre- Karba Chad.
Karba Chad (This year on the 24th of October) is another festivity that is held in the Northern part of India, where the wives express their love and affection to their husband, by thanking their mother- in -law.
During a whole day they have to fast and make themselves all pretty. They do their nails, they apply mehendi (henna) on their hands, wear beautiful colored dresses and of course a lot of bangles.
In the evening, when the moon is up, they offer gifts to their mother- in- law, and they have some really good food to go with it.
The (pre) Karba Chad where I went to was a day in advance and it made it so special because all women could prepare themselves for the next day. There were enough people taking care of your hands, nails, bangles… just to make sure that everyone was well prepared for the next day.
(see pictures with the rose and orange decoration)
As you can imagine, we are really looking forward to experience this festival season and Diwali. And it will be even more special because we will discover these amazing festivities with my little brother Edouard, who will be here with a friend Gregory for 10 days.