A festival which has been a symbol of tradition and culture for Hindus across the world. Deepavali means “series of lights”. On the day of Diwali, you can see lights being arranged in a decorative manner in houses, streets, temples and offices. It is an analogy that like the lights drive the darkness in the surroundings, the celebration of Diwali brings happiness into the people’s lives eradicating their problems.

Celebration of Diwali dates back to ancient times in India and Nepal. Due to migration of people from Indian origin to other countries, the festival also got a widespread popularity and now the festival Diwali has got a prominent place in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA, Maldives, Indonesia and the list goes on. According to the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid - October and mid - November.

In India, though Diwali is an extremely significant festival, the method of celebration varies from state to state. There are several legends relating to this festival and based on the legends, the celebrations are designed. The commonality is the preparation, shopping of new clothes and crackers and the joy of celebration. Goddess Lakshmi is commonly worshipped in all practices because it is strongly believed that Celebrating Diwali brings in prosperity and peace to the family.

In Tamil Nadu, celebration of Diwali marks the culmination of the demon Narakasura by Lord Vishnu. This indirectly reinstates the bottom line of Hinduism that when we surrender ourselves to the Lord’s feet, He will save us from all evils.

People start cleaning their place of stay one week prior to Diwali. They start decorating their houses and other places and the children curiously awaiting the new dresses, sweets and crackers. On the day of Diwali, special poojas are performed for Goddess Lakshmi. Business people start their new accounts on this auspicious day for a flourishing year ahead. People visit their families and friends sharing the delicacies.

Ultimately, Diwali is a festivals, bringing people together, overcoming the barriers of evil, grudge and greed. Celebrating Diwali is a way of rejuvenating relationships among friends and families.