By Shirin Batra '28 (Reporter)
Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is one of the largest festivals in India. Beyond India, Diwali is celebrated in countries with large Hindu and Buddhist populations, including Nepal, Fiji, Malaysia, and many others. Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which means “row of lights.” Rooted in Hinduism but celebrated by many communities, the holiday marks the triumph of light over darkness and of good over evil. Diwali lights guide and welcome the presence of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and success. Over time, Diwali lights have also become symbolic of welcoming good luck and prosperity.
Every year, Diwali is celebrated during autumn. Similar to holidays observed in Judaism and Islam, Diwali is based on the lunar calendar and, therefore, falls on a different date every year. This year, Diwali falls between October 31st and November 1st. Diwali always starts twenty days after another major Hindu holiday called Dussehra, which marks Hindu God Rama’s victory over the demon Ravana, ending his oppressive reign over Lanka (present day Sri Lanka).
Popular ways of celebrating Diwali include exchanging gifts, wearing new clothes, cleaning and decorating the house with lights, and lighting clay tea lights called diyas. Other festivities of Diwali include fireworks, displays of art called rangoli, and henna. Kareena Mathur ‘26, co-leader of Friends’ Central’s Asian Student Association, describes some of her family’s own Diwali traditions: “Every year is a little different…but most years we light diyas around the house and make rangolis. We always try to find time to see family during this time of year with all the other holidays happening to do fireworks, exchange gifts, play games, and do aarti (prayer) together.”
Much like Lunar New Year, which has become commercialized, you will probably see Diwali artifacts in many mainstream American stores such as Target, Lowes, and Costco.
In fact, as Diwali has gained increasing acceptance and recognition in American culture, some school districts even give a holiday for the occasion. For example, last year, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City declared Diwali a holiday for public schools to close. Even the school district of Radnor Township recently announced that their students will be given a day off for Diwali. Mathur adds, “I'm hoping in the future we find some way to celebrate Diwali at FCS,” and judging by the increasing popularity of the festival, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen.
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