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| Color of the day: Red
Incense of the day: Cedar Diwali is the Hindu "Festival of Lights," and India's most important holiday. Because it is calculated by the lunar Hindu calendar, it falls on different days each year. Gifts are exchanged on Diwali-often sweets or candles or candleholders. The home is decorated and oil lamps are lit. Fireworks are common. It is a joyous celebration focused on family, good fortune, and hope for the future. The first day of this five-day celebration, the home is lined with oil lamps and marigolds, and prayers and sweets are offered for long life and to ward off early death. The offering should be made near a sacred tree. In Bengal, Diwali is the festival of Kali Puja, when Ma Kali, the fierce mother goddess of death and rebirth, is worshipped. Kali worship is sometimes reserved for the second day of Diwali. In other parts of India, the focus of Diwali is Lakshmi or Krishna. The fourth day of Diwali is the Hindu New Year. Regional variations let us know, as Westerners, that it's okay to celebrate light and deity in whatever form we choose during this sacred time, as long as we enjoy ourselves. May our lights shine brightly! |
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