Diwali festival begins

hi baba, I attend the diwali last year it was fun lot of foods I don't think we have similar festival here like that maybe New Year because we lit lot of fireworks. miss you Baba

Festivals are great! We have several here but not this time of year. We have a Rennaisance Fair which brings all kinds of wiccan and spiritual type people to gether. Now for Halloween there are parties everywhere for weeks before the night. On the night of Halloween it is said that the spirits and powers that be are strongest at the midnight hour.

Hi Professor, I come from Malaysia which is multiracial country and there are many Indians who live here and celebrate Diwali in such a grand way. Families get together to rejoice the happy occasion. A wide variety of well-known delicacies of exotic genre will be prepared. Open houses will be held everywhere. After the morning's special bath, everyone will put on their new clothes and head to the temple to start the auspicious day with. The festival of light is indeed a festival of happiness. Prior reading your post, I didn't know there is so much more to Diwali celebration than what meets the eye. Thank you for creating and sharing all these information.

I have expected that, Diwali is coming, professor sir is gonna ready to give a good explanation regarding this festival. My thought is true. You have explained in detailed. Belated Diwali wishes to you sir.

Believe it or not I was taught about India and it's practices of "worshiping the cows"? etc. when we were about 9 years old. This surprised us of course. As you well know here in the US we are all about growing food. We honor both solstices and equinoxes by preparing, sharing and eating food! No source of food is worshiped! Easter, falling near the Spring equinox is honored by a gathering of people and eating leg of lamb or pork. Fourth of July falls around the summer solstices and is honored by eating burgers (beef) and a kind of tube sausage called brats (also beef)cooked over an out door grill. Fall equinox is Thanksgiving of a good harvest, typically a roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, and pumpkin pie (plenty of beta carotene). Prime rib, or a standing rib roast is usually eaten at Christmas, near the Winter solstice. Christians celebrate these "seasons" by going to worship but never so elaborately as yours. By sharing what they've produced throughout the growing season is considered a sharing of wealth with friends, family and neighbors. We set off fireworks on 4th of July and new year only. Christians take out the incense and oil on Easter and Christmas only.

Hello, my boyfriend and my best friend is an Indian and they celebrate Diwali. They talk about it every time it's this time of the year. I want to understand so many things about this festival as I'm not an Indian. Someday, I want to celebrate Diwali festival too with the Indian people that I love. :)

Diwali or Deepavali a festival of array of light attracts everyone. Those who troad the roads in India shall witness the pearls of light raining in the sky so much bright and colorful, everyone likes to be with the family and friends to watch this phenomenon and everybody feels a sense of mostalgy in the heart. A silence so deep that envelopes the deep inner core, the children adulds and the senior citizens enjoy this festival wearing new clothes shoes and offering gift. There is a day reserved on which many Hindu Families invite their non Hindu Friends and offer to eat, they serve the poor with delicious food on that day. During the Deepavali the shops and the temples are washed and purifies, the priests offer Pooja or sacrifice by chanting Psalms ( Shlokas), Manthras which do enchant us and create a glympse that the supernatural reality exists. The families do the offerings and that is made holy by the priests. All wear a special kind of paste called Shrighandam or Tilak on the forehead and in between the eyebrows inviting on themselves God's blessings and prosperity. It is beautiful to watch the shop keepers washing their shops, then offering Pooja or sacrifice and then they destribute sweets to children cliets and friends free of cost. On that day they start a fresh account book. Then do Dhanalaxmi Pooja and invoke the Goddess of Wealth to grant them prosperity. Above all the Deepavali Feast has a great spiritual significance. During this feast different people remember different epics. Its a feast when Sri Rama had been coronated after subduing Ravana who had kidnapped Sita. Its a feast of killing the Demon Narakasura the agent of evil. Finally a Feast of Deepavali is very great. Everybody enlighens their homes and institutions by lighting a chin of candles. In the temples they will decorate a huge Ratham ( Chariot) enlightened by 1000 candles. The decorate the roads with tubelights and take the charriot in procession. They ring the bell , play tabala and sing. It isn a great spiritual fest of enlightenment. A spiritual enlightenment is the final goal of human life to seek that ultimate happiness through the sathvik life or a life of innocence and bliss.

Hello Papa! We do not have this type of festival that I am aware of. But I do like what you stated about it. It sounds very festive, and family oriented. My kind of festivals Papa where we all can be happy in sharing a beautiful event. Many Blessings to you Maa, subhee and and all your family. Have a really wonderful week.