Diwali festival celebrates to honour the goddess of wealth Lakshmi

Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the most celebrated festivals in India.

This festival celebrates in a colourful manner and its lights starts on Dhanteras and ends on Bhaiya Dooj.

Though Diwali is an important Hindu festival, but people from different religions are also celebrating Diwali festival.

India is a multi religious society and many religious festivals are generally celebrates in India.

Please find below some of the popular festivals in India:-

• Diwali
• Navarathri
• Holi
• Eid ul-Fitr
• Christmas
• Onam
• Vishu
• Pongal
• Ugadi

These festivals are bringing the people together, strengthens the country’s unity and integrity and preserving the communal harmony of the country.

Diwali festival is not only celebrating in India but also across the world. Diwali celebrates on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika (October and November) and the fourth day of Diwali is the Hindu New Year.

Diwali is known as the “Festival of Lights” and the same celebrates to honour of goddess Lakshmi who is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity.

Diwali festival is associated with god Rama who was the eldest son of Ayodhya’s King Dasharatha.

As per the family hierarchy, Rama was supposed to be the heir to the throne. But the furious Dasharath’s second queen Kaikayi forced Dasharatha to banish Rama and send him to exile for a period of 14 years and make Kaikeyi’s son Bharata as a King of Ayodhya.

While Rama, his wife Sita and his brother were in exile, Lanka’s demons King Ravana met beautiful Sita in a forest and he asked her to get marry him.

Upon her refusal, the enraged Ravana kidnapped her, taken to Lanka and held her as a captive in his palace.

The furious Rama with the help Laxman, Hanuman, Bali, Sugreeva and their Vanara Sena attacked Lanka and killed Ravana in an epic battle.

The triumphant Rama, Lakshmana and Sita reached back to Ayodhya Kingdom on a new moon night in the Hindu month of Ashvin.

The ecstatic people Ayodhya celebrated the homecoming of their kind-hearted prince Rama by lighting earthen lamps, bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets.

To welcome Rama, the entire people in Ayodhya cleaned their houses and illuminated all the roads leading towards Ayodhya. Rama’s truimphant return marked good times ahead for the Ayodhya Kingdom.

Diwali festival is giving clear cut message i.e. from darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge, triumph over evil and hope over despair. By lighting of lamps, people are paying respect to god for getting proper health, wealth, knowledge, peace, courage and fame.

Every year before celebrating Diwali, people are cleaning their respective houses, shops, streets, institutions, and their business areas and decorating with colourful lights.

Diwali festival is culminating with grand fire crackers across the country. As the government has restricted the fire crackers due to the air and noise pollution, people are now seldom using the fire crackers in public places.

Diwali is known as a festival of joy, festival of peace. During this festival period, people in general are in a joyous and cheerful mood and preparing special sweets and share the same with their family, friends, neighbours and colleagues, etc.

They are enjoying nicely by wearing traditional dresses, mingling with family members, friends, and neighbours etc.