Do you have a spirit of adventure? Plan your next trip to India – the land of infinitive variety, where every day starts with the anticipation of an amazing adventure. From golden deserts and exotic beaches fringed by swaying palms, to magnificent temples and fortresses, to stunning landscapes and wonderful cuisine, India will never leave you indifferent. India holidays simply teem with an endless range of tourist attractions and sightseeing destinations, offering an exotic and magical experience one to wonder forever!
Festivals
Being a highly spiritual country, India is also blessed with a multitude of colorful festivals that form an integral part of the country’s rich culture. Combining color, enthusiasm, gaiety, prayers and rituals, a festival in India has a specific significance and is celebrated in every part of the country. Every day, somewhere or the other, in some corner of the country you can see people dressed in new clothes, singing and dancing, celebrating and worshipping, as if they have no worries and cares of daily life.
Diwali – Festival of Lights
Diwali is one of the most hugely waited and immensely cherished festival celebrities across India and the Indian communities around the world. It’s a 5 day Hindu festival, which occurs on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika (between 15th October and 15th November) and is celebrated at its most best. The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali (deep meaning ‘light or lamp’ and avail meaning ‘row’), hence ‘a row of lights.’ Like other Indian festivals Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country.
For north Indians, this is the celebration of Rama’s homecoming, when the lord returned home to Ayodhya after 14 years of being into exile, while in Gujarat, the festival is dedicated to Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. It also honors Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God of Wisdom and Prosperity. Diwali celebrates the victory of the Good over the Evil and Light over Darkness.
Before Diwali, people make great efforts to clean their homes and yards, decorating them with tiny electric lights, bright and colorful lanterns of various shapes and sizes, small clay oil lamps (called diyas) or bowls of water with candles and flowers floating on the surface. The celebration of the festival is invariably accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks.
Diwali starts with Dhanteras, when new utensils and silver ware is brought to the house. The day is also chalked out for shopping and markets are piled up with goodies, offering mega Diwali discounts to allure the customers. On the second day of Diwali (called Chhoti Diwali), Kali – the goddess of Strength is worshipped. On the third day, known as Badi Diwali, the worshipping of mother Lakshmi takes place. The fourth day of Diwali is the Hindu New Year and on the last day (Balipratipada) of the festival, Balim an ancient Indian king, is recalled and remembered. During Diwali you can see government offices, post offices and banks closed.
Wishing Happy Diwali to everyone!
