Happy Diwali (or Deepavali) to all Hindu, Indian, Bengali, Punjabi & Sikh metafilter members & readers. Diwali, a 5-day festival, is as important to Hindus and Indians as Christmas is to Christians. The festival is also known as Festival of Lights and its rich history and traditions are rooted in the Hindu epic Ramayana (written in the Sanskrit language) (picture gallery of Ramayana). But there are several legends of how Diwali originated. Although this important festival is celebrated differently in different parts of India and other countries, the significance of Diwali is the unifying belief and celebration of the victory of good / righteousness / light / knowledge over evil / vice/ darkness / ignorance, which is symbolized by the lighting of oil lamps, candles and scented incense during this festival. Enjoy!
posted by taratan on Nov 3, 2002 - 11 comments