Undoubtedly, Diwali is the biggest festival in India. However, it is also celebrated in different countries all over the world. There is a big list of countries who are also celebrating Diwali as well. The Indian people who are living in India never forget to celebrate Diwali. After all, this is the most celebrated festival in India.
The famed festival of light is the sign of a new beginning for Hindus and it sometimes lasts for 5 days.
Around the world, individuals clean their homes, do beautiful rangolis and light oil lamps called ‘diyas’, light fireworks, make homemade sweets and engage in general feasting with one’s family. One of the most beautiful parts of this festival is the praying to God for happiness and health for their family.
The word Diwali, that comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, suggests that “rows of lighted lamps,” and lights are displayed on homes, temples, and buildings to represent hope, the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
Many different types of activities are hosted and conducted by the people during this festival. There are competitions of sand art, dance shows conducted by either a neighborhood club or a dance group, candle making and decoration competitions and so much more. The main motive behind Diwali is warding off evil and the darkness from the lives of one and one’s family.
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Diwali celebrations in Great Britain:
Indians are one of the largest communities in Britain, ranking at the second largest community in Great Britain. To lock away the loneliness and get rid of the feeling of missing their family and country, particularly this time of the year, the Indians celebrate with a huge bang! The festival officially commences with a beautiful design drawn with different colors to decorate one’s home. There are many Hindu temples in Britain, where are revered greatly among Indians there. Along with making varieties of sweets, burning of large quantities of incense, Indians light their houses and surroundings with hundreds of diyas that provide light to the lost souls, wandering on the hallowed nights of Diwali.
Indian devotees collect different flowers for decorating the Lady of Death, Goddess Kali, and flock to the temples in droves to pray to her so that she protects one and their family. Generally, the celebration of Diwali takes place between the autumn month of October and the cold, wintry month of November. But the indigenous cold stands a very small chance indeed of stopping Hindus in Great Britain from celebrating Diwali. The laps and diyas play a huge role in invigorating the Indians to celebrate since they remind them of the warmth and welcoming feeling of their homeland.
Diwali celebrations in South America:
Guyana, at one time called the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is found on the northeast coast of South America. The South American nation is 82, 978 sq. miles in space and encompasses a population of concerning 770,000. Hindus represent a majority of thirty-third per cent of Guyana’s total population.
The Co-operative Republic of Guyana in Southern America celebrates Diwali in accordance with the Hindu calendar, so much so that the Diwali day is also considered as a legal holiday within the official calendar of South America. The celebration of the famous festival of light started in the year of 1853 in the South American nation by the Hindus who came there from India.
The celebration of Diwali includes the distribution of homemade delicious sweets, lighting diyas inside the house and outside as well, exchanging greetings and a special cleaning of one’s entire home. People buy new clothes, as Diali signifies a new beginning. It is celebrated as a special day for the South American people as well.
The distribution of traditional Indian sweets to the populace signify the joy of sharing and serving whatever you have, a feeling that always makes one happy. The exchange of cards between friends, family, and co-workers denote the goodwill that is one of the foundations of Diwali. There are different varieties of traditional sweets people make at their homes such as Pera, barfi, kheer, and many more.
The tradition of wearing new clothes is important for the South American people, especially during this time as everybody joins in the new beginning signified by Diwali. They also believe that new clothes bring new prosperity in their life. Clean up the houses is also an important part of this festival as it signifies the healthy environment and a clean start towards a new beginning. Displaying lighting in and around their home is said to bring new light to a person’s life, as the darkest night of the year becomes the most beautiful one.
Diwali celebrations in Asia:
The Asian Nations are particularly attracted to the concept of the Festival of Lights. With a population of over twenty million who are interested in Diwali, Asia contains a harmonious multi-ethnic mixture of Malaysians, Indonesians, and other Asiatic communities. The Asian continent is a mixture of colorful communities along with their respective cultures and traditions. Most of the community share different beliefs, and thus their methods of celebrating their own concept of the Festival of Lights vary greatly. The rituals and ceremonies conducted, along with their purposes, differ greatly between different communities. While there are Hindus who celebrate this festival to worship the Lady of Death, Goddess Kali, there are also some Malaysian communities who also celebrate this as the Festival of Lights. They celebrate Diwali as Hari Diwali that signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is commonly celebrated in the seventh month of the year. During this time people go to the temple and pray for the good health and prosperity. They light diyas made of clay and use untouched vegetable oil that to celebrate the victory of Lord Rama, the conqueror, in the Hindu epic Ramayana, over the demon king Ravana. Diwali is celebrated majority over in the Asian continent except in Sarawak & The Federal Territory of Labuan.
Diwali celebrations in Mauritius:
Mauritius is an island in the ocean that lies to the east of Madagascar. This stunning dry land is a completely stunning package of landscapes and fascinating spots.
Mauritius has a whopping sixty-three majority of Indians, eighty per cent of whom follow Hinduism. In Mauritius, Diwali celebration is a very old and respected tradition and holds a special place for the people of the nation, who believe that Diwali has been celebrated even long before the come of Lord Rama from fourteen years of exile. The celebration started by decorating diyas in rows and creating different designs and patterns from that. This festival is celebrated for the good health and wealth and frightening up the evil.
Diwali celebrations in Nepal:
Nepal is very close to India so it is totally influenced by the Indian culture. It is a place of different communities and most of the people there are devout Hindus. Nepal is one of the solely Hindu countries on the planet. The Festival of Light is also termed that in the Asian countries like Nepal.
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This festival is celebrated as per the Gregorian calendar or in the month of November on the day of Amavasya – the darkest day of the year and is usually celebrated for a continuous 5 days. In the very first day, they cook rice for the cows and feed them. The second day is dedicated to dogs so they cook delicious preparation for the dogs. On the third day, they light up the lamps to remove the darkness. The fourth day is dedicated to the Hindu God of death to get a longer life. The last and final day is dedicated to brothers and for their good health and long life. It is also called as Bhaya Dooj.
