Welcoming Deepawali!

Friends Deepawali, the festival of lights is emerging in a week. My Indian friends would surely be all pumped up for this upcoming mega festival.

‘Deepawali’ also known as Diwali is the most important Hindu festivals that happens to observe the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan and his return from exile. Around the country, preparations for this festival usually start 15-20 days prior, with the first activity being ‘House Cleaning’. For most Indians including me this is a must-do annual activity. It not only cleans the house but also gives an opportunity to remove unwanted or extra things. A rearrangement of household stuff like furniture can give freshness to the home.

The next preparation to be done for Diwali festival is House Decoration. People try & decorate their houses by fresh painting of house, using decorative items like Diya (Lamps), Toran (decorative border put on front gate) etc. I prefer to decorate my house with different kinds of Rangoli. It is an intricate pattern made on the floor with flowers or colored powders in front of house‘s main entrance. Another thing I like to decorate my house is with good fragrances. For me it’s crucial that not only my house looks good but also smells great, moreover, these celebration times are perfect  to #ChangeTheAir. For this I use fresh flowers sometimes but commonly I use the most convenient, air fresheners that are readily available in markets; fragrance with them is just a click away!

After this the next activity to shift focus on is at Food. After all good food is the essence of any celebration. Delicacies both sweet & savory are prepared like Mawa Gujiyas, Kaju Barfi, Namkeen, Chiwda etc.  Last but not the least in the to do list for Deepwali fest is getting dressed in new clothes and lighting up the fire crackers.

These all things sum up an average Indian’s preparation list for Diwali festival. I’m sure that to this day house cleaning would have concluded in most of our households. Hoping that each one of us celebrate this festival with peace and prosperity. Happy Deepawali!