Diwali 2010: Festival of Lights Celebrated Around World (Recipes)

by Amy Judd | November 4, 2010 at 07:50 am

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Happy Diwali!

Diwali, also called Divali or Deepavali or the Festival of Lights is a five-day festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November and is honored by families around the world.

Hindus consider Diwali to be the most important festival of the year and it is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Trinidad & Tobago, Malaysia, Mauritius, Guyana, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Singapore, Myanmar and Suriname.

It is known by its popular name of the Festival of Lights because people light small lamps to represent the triumph of good over evil and it is customary to share snacks and sweets with each other.

Different colorful varieties of fireworks are always associated with this festival. On this auspicious day, people light up diyas and candles all around their house. They perform Laxmi Puja in the evening and seek divine blessings of Goddess of Wealth. The festival od Diwali is never complete without exchange of gifts. People present diwali gifts to all near and dear ones.

As food plays such a huge part in the festival, we have complied some Diwali recipe sites to make some traditional snacks.

The date for Diwali is determined by the Hindu calendar so it can land on different days in the Western calendar.

The exact day of the festival is decided by the position of the moon. According to the Hindu calendar, Amavasya or 'no moon day' is considered as the perfect day to celebrate Diwali. This dark night comes after every fortnight and in the month of Kartik, it marks this festival of lights and diyas. As per the English calendar, the festival generally comes in the month of November and December. For all Hindu people, the festival holds an imperative meaning since the festival is reckoned with Lord Rama's victory as the King of Ayodhya after his return to the kingdom from 14 years of exile along with his wife Sita & brother Laxman after killing the demon, King Ravana.

Check out some pictures of Diwali below: