It's Party Time all the time in India, but if your in India near the end of October you can be part of the largest celebration of the year, Diwali. There are other Hindu festivals but none that are so celebrated as Diwali. It's so big that this holiday marks the new fiscal year for Indian businesses. The excitement of the festival sizzles in the air and builds as the week hits a climax. And I have to admit that as a bystander I have been drawn, like a moth to a flame, to this festival. I am so unfamiliar with the Hindu festivals and traditions and have become most curious about this festival, the biggest Hindu celebration of the year, called Diwali (Deepavali).
The holiday means "festival of lights" and the main overall theme is good overcoming evil, light overcoming darkness. Lights are strung all over the streets, trees, and homes and candles illuminate the doorways and windows. Side roads are smokey with firecracker smoke and the carnage of spent wrappers and crackers fills the streets the next day. It is a combination of Christmas and July 4th all wrapped up into one week of celebrations. Who wouldn't love that?l
You can expect to be kept awake by the booming sounds of firecrackers. Each evening for about a week, I've jumped nearly out of my skin as someone set off a thunderous "cracker" near my home. The loud boom that sounds like someone has just bombed a nearby home, sets my nerves on edge. These are definitely not legal crackers back in the U.S. but here you have access to "Thunder Bombs", "Atom Bombs", and "Hydro Bombs" and the bigger and the louder the better. There are no rules of engagement with these bombs, just let go of your inhibitions far enough away that you don't get hurt.
Someone told me a story of their childhood days when trying to show off with her big brother and the crazy excitement of the day led her to momentarily loose her mind as she lit a "Hydro Bomb" too close to her home. It blew out all the home's downstairs windows plus their neighbors' windows. She lost her hearing for a solid two days. You can guess how loud they are.
I've heard a few of those crazy loud ones go off all week and sometimes the crackles and booms wake me up at night or early in the morning.
More than any other culture I know of, the Indians really know how to party. They are so diverse and passionate, their weddings last for days, and every religion gets a series of official government holidays for it's proper dedication and celebration. There are so many official government holidays one has to wonder how anything gets done. Aside from the mandatory government holidays and regional emphasizes on a holiday, it's pretty much left up to the company or the individual to decide which days to take off.
But this is the culture, they are very tolerant folks, everyone has a belief and everyone respects everyones' beliefs. We all benefit in the end. So although there may be a little confusion about which holidays to take off, what is certain is that there is an overall theme of acceptance and celebration which is a guarantee of a good time.
The holiday means "festival of lights" and the main overall theme is good overcoming evil, light overcoming darkness. Lights are strung all over the streets, trees, and homes and candles illuminate the doorways and windows. Side roads are smokey with firecracker smoke and the carnage of spent wrappers and crackers fills the streets the next day. It is a combination of Christmas and July 4th all wrapped up into one week of celebrations. Who wouldn't love that?l
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| Compare the NASA photos of India, so amazing! |
You can expect to be kept awake by the booming sounds of firecrackers. Each evening for about a week, I've jumped nearly out of my skin as someone set off a thunderous "cracker" near my home. The loud boom that sounds like someone has just bombed a nearby home, sets my nerves on edge. These are definitely not legal crackers back in the U.S. but here you have access to "Thunder Bombs", "Atom Bombs", and "Hydro Bombs" and the bigger and the louder the better. There are no rules of engagement with these bombs, just let go of your inhibitions far enough away that you don't get hurt.
Someone told me a story of their childhood days when trying to show off with her big brother and the crazy excitement of the day led her to momentarily loose her mind as she lit a "Hydro Bomb" too close to her home. It blew out all the home's downstairs windows plus their neighbors' windows. She lost her hearing for a solid two days. You can guess how loud they are.
I've heard a few of those crazy loud ones go off all week and sometimes the crackles and booms wake me up at night or early in the morning.
More than any other culture I know of, the Indians really know how to party. They are so diverse and passionate, their weddings last for days, and every religion gets a series of official government holidays for it's proper dedication and celebration. There are so many official government holidays one has to wonder how anything gets done. Aside from the mandatory government holidays and regional emphasizes on a holiday, it's pretty much left up to the company or the individual to decide which days to take off.
But this is the culture, they are very tolerant folks, everyone has a belief and everyone respects everyones' beliefs. We all benefit in the end. So although there may be a little confusion about which holidays to take off, what is certain is that there is an overall theme of acceptance and celebration which is a guarantee of a good time.
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| Little kids and big kids alike are in love with the "fountain" crackers. |
Happy Diwali!
