Diwali Experience

Tuesday 22-10-2019 - 12:30

MY DIWALI EXPERIENCE 
By Ritika Bajaj - Indian Society Finance Officer

Diwali is the festival of lights, colours and joy. This specific festival celebrates unity in diversity throughout India. Diwali brings prosperity, happiness and is celebrated for 5 full days. As Hindu’s we were taught since childhood the importance of this festival and how auspicious it is that we fight our evils and find the good within us. We worship Lord Ganesh (God of Knowledge and Strength) and Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth). The preparations for Diwali start a month prior to the arrival of the festival.

 

The five days are divided into Dhanteras, Roop Chaudas, Diwali, New Year and Bhaiduj (a day that celebrates the love between brothers and sisters). Being from a traditional family, cleaning the house, buying new clothes and making lots of sweets and snacks with my mom were my biggest interests and also later in the evening we would light candles and make colourful rangoli’s outside our doors which was fun. As a child, visiting my dad’s work place for Puja was always mesmerizing as the whole city was lit with lights and lanterns on my way to the office.

 

Meeting and greeting relatives, friends and neighbours was a fun time as we exchanged lots of sweets and gifts and spent our time laughing and making memories. Bursting fire crackers during my childhood was a bit scary for me, but as I grew up I spent most of my time bursting crackers with my siblings and other friends. The variety in crackers always amazed me, even today I miss being at home and enjoying every bit of it. Every Diwali celebration makes me relive the childhood memories.

Finally, I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

 

MY DIWALI EXPERIENCE 
By Krushika Puttaswamy Gowda

One of the most loved festivals celebrated in India is Diwali. The festival of lights, where good beats evil, where people bring joy to one another. There is no division in religion with Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists when it comes to Diwali as they all celebrate it as one. Lighting up the firecrackers is one of the best memories I have, the sound, the excitement, the view makes it even more mesmerising.

 

Every house I looked at had pretty lights outside it’s door, girls walking around wearing traditional clothes and sweets being shared with one another was all so jovial. Wearing a saree (traditional attire) was always the best part of my Diwali, my cousins and I always made sure we wore the same colour saree and the same ornaments, we then sat in the temple to worship Goddess Lakshmi and danced for hours afterwards to the music played in the temple. As a Hindu we were told Diwali is "the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance."

 

The festival typically last five days and generally falls in the months of October and November, it is always celebrated 18 days after Dussehra, saying that I remember how everyone in my family had a smile on their face as they all enjoyed cooking together for 100s of people, giving gifts to the poor, last but not the least bursting the firecrackers at the end of the night as a joint family is always going to be a picture-perfect memory to me.

 

DIWALI NIGHT

Join the Indian Society on the 25th of October at the MDX House for their very own Diwali Night - welcome to everyone!


Find out more and buy your £4 ticket HERE

Want to join MDXSU's Indian Society, CLICK HERE

 

 

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