It is very rare that I get opportunity to celebrate Diwali.
This year I dont see much enthusiasm in the city.
Let us explore little history
Diwali also spelled Dīvālī, one of the major religious festivals in India, celebrated over a five-day period from the 13th day of the dark half of theHindu month Āśvina to the 2nd day of the light half of Kārttika. (The corresponding Gregorian dates fall in late October.) The name is derived from the Sanskrit term dīpāvali, or row of lights. The festival is observed with particular enthusiasm by members of the merchant communities and honours Lakṣmī, the goddess of wealth
During the festival, small earthenware lamps filled with oil are lighted and placed in rows along the parapets of temples and houses and set adrift on rivers and streams. This is said to be in commemoration of the return of Rāma (an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu) to Ayodhyā and his delayed coronation as king after 14 years in exile. The fourth day—the main Dīwālī festival day—also marks the beginning of the new year according to the Vikrama calendar. Merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books. It is generally a time for visiting, exchanging gifts, decorating houses, feasting, and wearing new clothes. Gambling is encouraged at this season, as a way of ensuring good luck for the coming year and in remembrance of Lord Shiva and Pārvatī's games of dice played on Mount Kailāsa.
Dīwālī is also an important festival among members of the Jaina community, many of whom belong to the merchant class. For the Jainas, the day commemorates the passing into Nirvāṇa (i.e., death) of Mahāvīra, the most recent of the Jaina Tīrthaṅkaras, or saints. The lighting of the lamps is explained as a material substitute for the light of holy knowledge that was extinguished with Māhavīra's passing.




