Diwali

DIWALI

WHAT IS DIWALI?

• Five-day festival of lights celebrated in India.

• Celebrated in the month of October or November.

• Marks the start of the Hindu New Year.

• Biggest and most important Hindu festival.

WHAT IS DIWALI?

• Celebrated each year in India and around the world by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.

• As important to Hindus as Christmas is to Christians.

• Symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, or good over evil.

TRADITIONS

• Many lights and oil lamps are lit on the streets and in houses.

• People visit their relatives and have feasts.

• Fireworks and festivities are an essential part of the occasion.

• Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, is worshipped as the bringer of blessings for the new year.

FOOD

• Each region has its favourite dishes and there’s no set evening menu.

• Savoury snacks could include samosas, bhajis, aloo tikki and channa bhatura (spiced chickpeas and puffed bread).

• The main meal may feature meaty curries, such as tikka masala, or a feast of vegetarian Indian dishes, including dhals and pulses.

FOOD

• But it’s sweetmeats (‘mithai’) that are the stars of Diwali. They’re made with dairy produce, which has religious significance, and offered to both gods and guests.

RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Newar Buddhists, although for each faith it marks different historical events and stories, but nonetheless the festival represents the same symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.

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DAY 5

Brothers visit their married sisters

DAY 4

Friends and relatives visit with gifts

DAY 3

Families gather together and pray to Goddess Lakshmi

DAY 2

People decorate their homes

DAY 1

People clean their homes and shop for gold

THE FIVE DAYS OF DIWALI

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