Visiting India during Diwali is quite an experience. Read on to know more about the grand festival of lights.
Go beyond the postcard image to learn about the tragic history and marvels of the Taj Mahal.
Diwali in India: A Feast of Light & Sound
Visitors to India will be struck by the sights and sounds that assail the senses during the celebrations of Diwali, or Deepavali. Diwali in India is celebrated with a range of practices, such as gambling until the early hours of the morning, buying new clothes and lighting small lamps known as diyas.
Over the course of five special days in late October or November every year, different parts of India erupt in a celebration of light and sound. Known as Diwali in the North and Deepavali in the South, the ‘festival of lights’ is celebrated with the purchase of new clothes, the lighting of sparklers, fire-crackers and auspicious pujas or offerings to the various gods of prosperity and good luck.
Diwali might originally have emerged as a festival celebrating an agricultural harvest, but contemporary celebrations do not immediately signal this.
Diwali in India: Of Gods and Goddesses
Like many aspects of everyday life in India, the celebration of Diwali is varied and involves many deities and beliefs.
The first day of Diwali is dedicated to cleansing and auspicious beginnings. People clean their homes and places of business, purchase gold, kitchen utensils and other precious items, offer prayers and light diyas. The second day is believed to commemorate the vanquishing of a demon by Lord Krishna and his wife. The lighting of firecrackers dispels evil, literally banishing it in a haze of ‘sound and fury’. The third day is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, who is believed to be at her munificent best on this day. Families gather for Lakshmi Puja (praying to the Goddess Lakshmi), savor sweets, light lamps and burst crackers.
Photograph courtesy of Enchanting Travel’s Gokul C. It’s a close-up of a popular fire-cracker, the “chakra” or “circle,” which spins on the ground, letting off bright light and a dull hissing sound.
On the fourth day, the banished demon Bali comes back to earth, following the terms of his banishment. He is to light diyas and spread a message of peace and love; symbolically, those who celebrate the festival similarly light up their homes, balconies and gardens with rows of gentle lights. Many people visit their neighbors to exchange gifts and wish each other a happy Diwali.
The fifth day, is known in many parts of India as Bhai Dooj, or Yama Dwitiya. The Lord of Death, Yama, visited his sister who put a vermilion mark on his forehead to protect him from evil. All those who are blessed by their sisters will symbolically be ‘protected’ from evil, and this day serves to reinforce sibling bonds.
Diwali in India: Of fun and firecrackers
Gambling is not just a happy way to extend the celebrations though. It has played a major role in Indian mythical history. In the Mahabharata, for instance, the Pandava brothers relinquished their entire kingdom when they lost a game of dice!
During Diwali, it is believed that Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva, decreed that anyone who gambled on Diwali night would prosper through the year!
Diwali is a fabulous, if chaotic, time to be visiting India. Several offices are closed to allow their employees to celebrate this festival at home, and residential communities come together to set off fire-crackers on building terraces and across the length of neighborhood lanes.
Expect to be offered traditional Indian sweets if you visit a local home, and to witness a spectrum of lights and sounds (including the ‘garland of crackers’ which sets off fifty-odd sounds akin to gunshots!).
How to celebrate Diwali in India
There’s no better way to understand a culture than participating in one of its grand festivals. Here are some of the best places to visit in India during Diwali:
- Diwali In Delhi – Celebrate Diwali with your local host family with oil lamps, sweet treats and firecrackers
- Diwali in Jaipur – Watch the royal family of Shahpura bring in Diwali with traditional rituals and enjoy incredible fireworks displays while you dine on the rooftop
- Diwali in Jodhpur – Ring in the festivities with a local Rajasthani family. Help your hosts decorate the house and participate in an auspicious puja ceremony
- Diwali in Varanasi – Celebrate the traditional way amidst a local family gathering and round it off with a delicious dinner and fireworks display
Read more about how you can celebrate Diwali in India.
Diwali – Festival of Lights | National Geographic
Experience Diwali in India
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