No sooner have I taken a breather from the Martha Stewart style preparations for my son’s 7th birthday (and yes, he was suitably pleased and that made blowing balloons and making sandwiches at 6.00am on a Sunday morning worth the effort), then came Halloween, which as some of you will know is a big deal in my part of town and then the first of many Diwali parties. I thought I would share the meaning and rituals of Diwali as it may help to explain why so many houses will be maxing up the electric grid this Friday evening, but also because the theme of Diwali is universal.
Diwali is known as the ‘festival of lights’ as Hindu’s believe it is on the 5th day of this festival that Laxmi, the goddess of wealth enters our homes and hearts and blesses us with all good things and we leave the lights on so she can find her way – you can’t rely on Sat Nav alone!
lovely way to light up the house - as seen in elle deco
Whilst the legends that go with the festival are different in parts of India, fundamentally Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance and that is something we can all aspire to. With all this comes renewal and that includes a house clean, freshening things up, getting rid of old, unwanted possessions and old out-worn habits. What will you do to start a fresh?
my beautiful sisters await the goddess laxmi.
