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- Book fiend,culture-vulture, world traveller, daughter of the tropics now living in the Great White North.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Diwali दीवाली
Tomorrow is the start of my favorite festival of all time -Diwali or the Festival of Light, so named because of the tradition of lighting lamps all over the house and outside the house, too!Tomorrow, the 19th, is called Dhanteras, the birthday of Lord Dhanwantari, the god who according to Hindu mythology, grants immortality. People generally buy new utensils or metal objects as auspicious items which they believe will ward off evil and ill health for the rest of the year and bring peace and prosperity. Tomorrow is also the birthday of God Yam, the god of death and lamps will be kept lit througout the night in respect to Him thus hoping to prevent untimely deaths!
Oct 20 is "Chhoti Diwali". Again, we will have lamps and little "diyas" lit all over the house and along the walkway leading to the house. The kids will paint "rangoli" designs on the front porch and light pathakas (firecrackers), eat sweets and have lots of fun!
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Rangoli picture courtesy Sandhya Jain
Oct 21 is DIWALI! After dusk we will have the Lakshmi Puja, seeking wealth and prosperity for the whole year. This is the evening we cook a feast, invite friends over, light more pathakas, exchange sweets and play cards until the wee hours of the morning! :)
Oct 22 will be a quiet day
Oct 23 is "Bhai Dooj". This day is observed as symbol of love between sisters and brothers....sisters apply "tika" (dot) on their brother's forehead and receive gifts and blessings in return. I don't have a brother so I guess I won't be celebrating Bhai Dooj.
For some fabulous Diwali detail please visit the incredibly talented FoodiesHope blog!
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10 comments:
Beautiful picture of Rangoli!! Enjoy the festival and check out mine when you have time!!:))
I most certainly will, Foodie! ;)
y'all have the best holidays. i'm celebrating with you in spirit!
Happy Diwali. That's one of my favorite holidays, and was one of the most memorable during my childhood.
Hi, Melissa!
We have to organize it so that your family can celebrate Diwali with us someday. The kids will love it!
Welcome, Shelliza!
True! Like you, I have the most magnificent Diwali memories and I'm trying to make good memories for my kids, too!
This is wonderful! I too want to pursue my dream of becoming an anthropologist. I'm actually applying to several programs around the country. Love your site!
hey hey, happy diwali, great post
Hi, Beenzzz!
That's such terrific news! You'll have to tell me how it goes - I might just follow your lead. I'm also looking into some of the journalism courses at our local college, I should know something by Jan. Will visit you tomorrow (Sunday). Thanks so much for stopping by at this blog!
Hey, Karthik!
A Happy Diwali to you, too! You must be celebrating it with great fanfare in Delhi, huh? I envy you!
Wonderful blog, nice writeup.
Happy Diwali to you.
Hi
I enjoyed browsing through your interesting blog..The rangoli pic is amazing!
You may also wish to browse my Diwali Gifts to India Blog to read more about Diwali and download free diwali wallpapers