Today Hindus celebrate Diwali.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali or the Festival of Lights, is an important festival for Hindus. It is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartika, according to the Hindu calendar, to honor Lord Rama's* return from 14 years of exile to his kingdom Ayodhya after his defeat of the demon king Ravana.
During the festival, families gather together, share sweets, wear new clothes, and illuminate their homes, streets and skies with diyas (clay lamps), candles, fireworks, electric lights and bonfires. This is what makes Diwali the brightest, most colorful and most exciting festival in Hinduism.
The illumination of homes signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and hope over dispair. Moreover, it is believed that the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean, and bright and that she cannot enter a house which is not lit up.
Regardless of faith, Diwali has become an official holiday celebrated by Hindus as well as Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains in many countries including India, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Singapore, Fiji, and Bangladesh.
*Rama (राम Rāma) is the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu and the king of Ayodhya in Hindu scriptures.
Happy Diwali to all those who celebrate it!