F*@+ing Diwali

After the last couple of days we have renamed Diwali to 'F*@+ing Diwali'.  Oh my, it has been full on.   The firecrackers until the wee hours of this morning were just too much too handle and at one point I thought we had magically relocated to Beirut or the equivalent. It was crazy !!! and this has been going on for a couple of days (and is still ongoing).  I have no problem with the idea of the celebration but I  am not quite sure who is actually watching/enjoying the crackers for 6.5 hours non-stop.  Not to put a dampener on things but we are planning Diwali 2014 to be celebrated, peacefully, in Dubai or Sri Lanka.  We now understand why most of the expats are away this weekend.

I am sure many people don't know the story behind Diwali, so I thought I should share that background of the 'Festival of Lights'.  It is a very important festival in the Hindu calendar and lasts for 5 days and is determined by the position of the moon in this period.  In different parts of India, the meaning varies.  Most Northern Indians in Gujurat, are praying to the Goddess of Wealth - Lakshmi and the lights are a way of guiding her into their homes.  Elsewhere, they are  celebrating the return of King Rama and Sita to Rama's kingdom after 14 years of exile and their defeat of King Ravana.

So basically it is a celebration of Good over Evil, Light over Darkness and Knowledge over Ignorance.

Most people buy firecrackers for their own personal use and then there are the committees and clubs who go all out over the weekend.  Even today (Monday) during the day there has been some going off nearby to Palm Meadows - and there will be more tonight.  We are bracing ourselves for another night of 'blasts' !!  They also buy the small clay pots to fill with oil and a wick to burn.  Traditional gifts of nuts and dried fruit and Indian sweets are also offered to friends, family and colleagues.  The colour and joy of the last few days is obvious, and I suppose it is the equivalent level of craziness as our Christmas.

I am not sure where the firecrackers come into it or who might have been watching them at midnight last night but it is apparently part of the ritual.  The expats say you have to experience at least one Diwali in India - well we have done our one !!! 

The clubhouse lights

The house across the street

More lights

The aftermath of the fireworks in our street