Diwali is the Hindu New Year festival and the biggest occasion in the
Hindu calendar. It is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. It is called
the festival of lights because it celebrates the victory of good (light)
over evil (darkness). The name of the festival comes from the
Sanskrit word dipavali, which means row of lights. Lights play an
important role in Diwali. Throughout the five-day celebration,
Hindus place special, decorative lights in their temples and homes.
There are also lots of colourful fireworks displays. In India people
make small lamps and try to float them across the Ganges river. It
brings good luck if the lamp manages to get all the way across.
Children love it because of the lights and because they get sweets
from adults.
There are two legends of Diwali in which Hindu gods overcome evil.
In one, Lord Krishna killed the evil demon king of Pragjyotishpur to
set free 16,000 daughters of the gods. The second legend has the
Hindu king Rama destroying Ravana, the wicked ten-armed, tenheaded
king of Sri Lanka. Ravana kidnapped Rama’s wife for 14
years. Many Hindus love these mythical stories. The Times of India
newspaper, however, summed up the modern meaning of Diwali:
“Regardless of the mythological explanation…what the festival of
lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed
commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a…celebration of the
simple - and some not so simple - joys of life.”
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