Celebrate Light

The Red Fort in New Delhi, India

Celebrate the victory of light over the forces of darkness today! At least the millions of people in India, Mauritius, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Guyana, Trinidad&Tobago, Sri Lanka and Fiji will be.

It’s Diwali time. Or Festival of Lights time. Whatever you want to call it, the celebrations started yesterday and last for five days and is one of the most important of the year in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism.

It occurs between mid October and mid November every year and luckily when I took my first trip to India I was there for the festival. Talk about indulgent. I have never eaten so many sweets before in my life. See My India Photos for more.

That’s because Diwali marks the defeat of Ravana and the return of Ram, Sita and Laxman to Ayodhya from their 14 year exile.

I mean after 14 years you’ve got to celebrate somehow. But the festival is not about sweets. Well not entirely. It is also referred to as the festival of lights for a reason.

The return of Ram, Sita and Laxman was celebrated by the people of Ayodhya by adorning their path with diyas (clay pots with candles) and this is the reason why we get to see the aura of diyas everywhere during the festival of Diwali.

It’s also a time when families get together. Perhaps something of an equivalent to Christmas or Hanukkah for other religions.

Whatever it is, it’s a great time to visit India! So plan your trip and enjoy the hospitality that will be extended to everyone, even visitors, during this time.