Happy Diwali!

Hi Again Everyone!

I have a lot of pictures for you this time, since I was able to celebrate Diwali with my family this weekend! Diwali is the biggest festival of the year, and it kind of reminds me of Christmas and 4^th of July. It’s called “The Festival of Lights” and is an official holiday here in India. It is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains all in different ways, so I will tell you about my experience. Diwali is a 5 day festival, with each day having certain traditions and customs. The first day (this year it was Thursday) is a day to buy anything big or expensive you need: cars, refrigerators, jewelry, steel, utensils, etc; and people save all year to buy these things. Friday was a day to clean the house, replace any curtains, rugs, or bedding, and also a day for haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. Some preparation is also done on this day, like buying sweets or making snacks. Also, on Friday night my family hosted relatives from Mumbai and we took a drive through old city to see all of the lights displayed. Saturday was the biggest celebration of the festival. In the morning, I went out with my host sister to buy last minute things like flowers, powder, lotus leaves, and more sweets- I can only describe this as black Friday shopping, but ten times worse. Then I helped her decorate the shrine they have in our house with the flowers and leaves we bought. Sweets, fruits, snacks, and nuts are also placed on dishes in front of the shrine.

Then it was time to dress up and get ready! Because it is such a special day, I wore a full traditional sari, and my host family and neighbors were very excited. Then at 8:30pm, my family held puja (prayer) to Lakshmi and Ganesh, the Goddess of Wealth and God of Prosperity. This included my host father smudging red powder on everyone’s forehead and tying a red thread around our wrists for prosperity and protection, and the lighting of mustard oil candles. After that it was time to party! We exchanged small gifts, went outside where all of the neighbors were setting off fireworks to celebrate, ate at our house AND our neighbor’s house, and even played some cards…it was a long night and I was up until about 2am! Sunday was much more low-key; friends and family visit each other all day and enjoy sweets, snacks, and chai together. Today was the last day of celebration, and this is devoted to siblings. Traditionally, the sister blesses the brother and cooks food for him-if she is married he will come to her house to visit. I consider myself very lucky that I was here to witness this unique display of culture and help my family celebrate! Tomorrow I leave by train to Varanasi, where I will be working with the Varanasi Weavers Organization until the 28^th, so look for another post shortly after!