India is a multi religious vibrant society that has been deeply rooted with varieties of tradition, cultural diversity, religious and national festivals. India is celebrating wide varieties of festivals such as Diwali, Navarathri, Holi, Eid, Christmas, Onam, Vishu, Pongal, Ugadi, etc that are celebrating in a different manner by different religion and society. Generally festivals bring the people together and it is strengthening the country’s unity and integrity further.
Diwali is a five-day Hindu celebration that is widely celebrating in India and across the world by the Hindu community. Diwali generally occurs 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 festival is known as the “Festival of Lights” and it is held in honor of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity.
Diwali festival is associated with god Rama who was the eldest son of Dasharatha and the King of Ayodhya. Rama, his wife Sita Devi and Rama’s brother Lakshmana were in an exile for a period of 14 years. Once Ravana, the king of Lanka met beautiful Sita in a forest and he straightaway asked her to marry him. Upon her refusal, the defiant Ravana kidnapped her, taken to Lanka and held her captive. The furious Rama with the help of Hanuman, Bali, Sugreeva with their vanara sena attacked Lanka and killed Ravana in an epic battle.
Victorious Rama, Lakshmana and Sita returned to Ayodhya Kingdom on a new moon night in the Hindu month of Ashvin. The jubilant Ayodhya people celebrated the homecoming of their kind-hearted prince by lighting earthen lamps, bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets. They cleaned their houses and illuminated all the roads leading towards Ayodhya. Rama’s victorious return marked good times ahead for the Ayodhya Kingdom that was lost its prosperity without their beloved prince.
Diwali gives core message such as darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge, triumph over evil and hope over despair. The lighting of lamps is one or the other way of paying respect to god for getting proper health, wealth, knowledge, peace, courage and fame.
Diwali is a most popular and important Hindu religious festival of India. While celebrating Diwali festival, people are cleaning and decorating with colourful lights at their places such as home, shops, streets, institutions and other business establishments. Diwali is normally culminating with grand fire crackers. Unfortunately bursting crackers in an extensive manner have already been restricted by the government due to the air and noise pollution in the public places.
Diwali is generally known as festival of joy, festival of peace and the Hindu community is celebrating the same with pomp and show. During the festival period, people are in a joyous and cheerful mood and they enjoy nicely by wearing traditional dresses, mingling with family members, friends, and neighbors etc.
Prior to starting Diwali Festival, most of the house holders are planning what kind of sweets they supposed to prepare and accordingly they prepares the tasty sweets at home and share the same with their family, friends, neighbors, colleagues etc.
During this festival period, the employees working in the government and the private sectors are getting Diwali Holiday and they are utilizing this opportunity to travel to their home town to meet their family members, friends, neighbors. Many are giving gifts such as new clothes etc to their dear one, exchanging sweets, sharing their old memories, enjoying with crackers, lighting lanterns, lamps, candles, etc.
As Diwali brings the family members together, most of the people are prefer in preparing traditional delicious food at home and they are enjoying the same by eating together with other family members. Traditional delicious food and quality sweet items are playing a major role at the time of Diwali.
Diwali is one of the most happiest festivals and it is widely celebrating in different way in different states in India. South Indian people are generally starting Diwali festival with oil bath. The eldest member of the family applies oil to the heads of all other family members and all are going for an oil bath. Upon completion of their oil bath, people prefer in wearing new cloths and enjoying with bursting crackers.
In North India Laxmi Puja is an integral part of Diwali and the people are conducting puja, chanting mantras and praying goddess Laxmi (the goddess of wealth) and in the evening they are lighting candles, diyas and bursting crackers.
Though Diwali is a best festival time for bursting crackers, but it is also the best festival time for the people to spend quality time with their family members and friends.
Bursting of crackers are now creating adverse affects such as air and noise pollusion in the air and the government is now systematically restricting the same to controlling the pollution.
At the same time bursting of crackers have a positive scientific affect in the air that are given below:-
The crackers contained sulfur compounds. Once it is burnt in the mid air, the sulfur compound fumes kills most of the bacteria and viruses. This killing process immensely helps those people who are not able to physically fight against the bacteria and viruses.
Five days long Diwali festival (The Festival Of Lights) commemorates the victory of good over evil and is an occasion for prosperity and family togetherness. Glimmering diyas, glittering lamps, colorful rangoli, delicious sweets, firecrackers are the main activities to celebrate Diwali.
