Diwali - Festival of Light

Deepavali or Diwali is a major Indian festival.  It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world and is known as the "Festival of Lights", where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being.

Diwali is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New Year.  Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated.  Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.  To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermillion powder all over the houses.  Lamps are kept burning all through the night.  Believing this day to be auspicious, women purchase some gold or silver, or at least two new utensils.  "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits.  "Bhajans" - devotional songs - in praise of Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess.  In villages, cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income.  In the South, cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.