Diwali Celebrations

Happy Diwali!  Today is Day One of the 5 day “Festival of Lights”, the most important Hindu festival, and the Hindu new year. Each day highlights a different auspicious event.  One day is auspicious for getting new things for the home I think that’s today), etc, and the big deal is Tuesday.  Families gather and do pujas (religious ceremonies) together at home, have good food, etc.  People have been cleaning their houses for weeks because they have explained they must have a very clean home and many lights all over the home so that the goddess Laxmi, the honored goddess of wealth, will enter their homes and bring prosperity for the coming year.  As I type this I hear fireworks (or crackers, as they’re called here!) going off in about 3 different directions.  They’ve been booming for about 2 weeks and we’ve been promised at least another week of the festivities. It sounds like we need to find a very deep fox hole; they are that loud.

BTW, the phrase Deepawali, or Diwali is a reference to the Ramayana, and is the day upon which beloved Prince Rama returns from the jungle after 14 years of banishment due to a promise his father had made to one of his spiteful wives. During his time in the jungle, Rama braved many obstacles and defeated the antagonizing King Ravana. The night of the Prince’s return, there was no moon, so the people of his Kingdom lit all of their lamps and candles in order for Ram to be able to find his way home.
Friday Steve’s office had a party for Diwali, and some women made beautiful Rangoli at the entrance of the business.  Rangoli is a decoration on the ground, sometimes very elaborate, drawn with either colored sand or colored ground rice, or sometimes now even chalk.  [I actually bought some stickers of Rangolis that they were selling at a Diwali stall, along with some Laxmi footsteps that one is supposed to place at every door.]  They did a puja in front of a shrine to the 3 gods honored at this festival, Ganesh, Sarasvati (goddess of education) and Laxmi, goddess of wealth.  We had some food, they lit some very loud crackers and it was a good time. 

Last night we went with our driver for a drive around the old city after dark, because Jaipur is the most famous of all Indian cities for its light spectacle.  It did not disappoint.  There are competitions between the various bazaars and it was incredible, even though they were still building huge gateways and putting up more lights as we drove by. These lights made Christmas decorations in the states look like child play. Here is a link to more photos of lights, photos of the women making the Rangoli, and the last is a traditional sweets box Diwali gift, which our driver gave us before he left for his village. http://flic.kr/s/aHsjCN4UaF

Tomorrow (Monday) eve I’m going to try to convince S to go back to the Old City to see the completed lights. On Tuesday we’ve been invited to my colleague’s house for their celebration, and S. has some very handsome new Indian apparel to sport, so look for pictures of that as well.  It’s fun to be here in the festival season!