🪔 Diwali

Diwali, or Festival of 🔥 Lights, is an annual religious 🎉 Celebration celebrated by Hindus, 🪯 Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists in 🇮🇳 India and around the 🗺 World. The celebration extols the bounty of nature after a period of 🌧 Rains and symbolizes the spiritual victory of light and good over darkness and evil.

The 🎊 Festival is held at the end of the 🌾 Harvest, which, according to the Gregorian style, falls in the months of October-November. The festivities begin 2 days before the 🌑 New moon according to the Hindu lunar-solar calendar and, depending on the region, last for 5-6 days.

Interesting fact:

• The Diwali emoji 🪔 "The Diya Lamp" depicts the Diya oil lamp, traditional in Indian religions, which is used to bless 🏠 Homes, workplaces and 🛕 Temples during the festival. It is also used in 🙏 Prayers and 🧘 Meditations.
• The Unicode symbols ☸️ "Wheel of Dharma" and 🕉️ "Om Symbol" can be used in reference to any of the four Indian ⛪️ Religions that celebrate Diwali.

History of the Holiday

The origins of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, where the festival marked the end of the harvest. More recent references to the festival are Sanskrit 📜 Texts, the largest of which were written towards the end of the first millennium AD.

Over time Diwali evolved into a celebration of the triumph of good over evil and enlightenment over ignorance. Yet in different regions and in each individual Indian tradition the appearance of the Festival of Lights is associated with its own legends or historical events.

Thus, a popular one is the story of 😇 Lord Rama, who after years of exile returned to his native kingdom with victory over the evil 👹 Demon Ravana. On the day of his arrival, which later became known as Diwali, the townspeople greeted Rama with burning Diyas, decorations, and the sound of 🧨 Firecrackers.

The festival is also associated with the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and with Krishna's deed of killing the villain. In eastern India, Diwali praises the goddess Kali, and in the northern part of the country, the festival marks the beginning of the new year. Sikh and Jain festivals are dedicated to their own gods and events.

Traditions and symbols of Festival of 🔥 lights

Before Diwali, houses and apartments are cleaned, floors are decorated with brightly colored drawings and vibrant ribbons, garlands and 🌼🌸🌺 flowers are hung. On the holiday itself, 🕯 Candles and Diyas are lit in homes to cleanse the rooms and used to pray to the gods.

Diwali is also a time for 👪 Family feasts, exchanging 🎁 Gifts and 🍬🥮🍡 sweets that show 🫶 Love and appreciation. Desserts are made from 🥛 Milk, ghee oil and sugar, and often contain 🥜 Nuts and spices.

Localities hold fairs, and shopping these days is comparable to Christmas shopping on its scale. People put on new 🥻👖 outfits. 🧍‍♀️ Women are painting their hands with henna. Firecrackers and 🎆 Fireworks go off everywhere, not only to express happiness, but also to ward off evil spirits.