The Diwali

Special clothing that brings out inner light is traditionally worn for the Hindu festival of lights called Diwali. This holiday time is also known as the "festival of dresses." Men, women, young people and children make use of the opportunity to buy bright, ethnic clothing. Diwali celebrates favorable auspices and gratefulness to the goddess Lakshmi through a form of worship called Pooja or Puja. Appropriate attire is both traditional and trendy. Women wear elegant sarees made from a variety of materials, such as silk, crepe, chiffon and velvet. Men dress in classic but contemporary kurta and dhoti. Young girls wear brightly decorated costumes called lehengas. Boys can dress up in suits or choose to be more comfortable in jeans and tee shirts. Even little children love dressing up in colorful robes and dresses. Clothing must reflect excitement and joy during the five-day celebration. While some women flaunt designer styles, others opt for less extravagant, simpler festiv...

History and Significance of Diwali, the Festival of Lights A Significant Celebration of Light, Love, and Joy by  Subhamoy Das   Updated January 29, 2019 Deepawali, Deepavali, or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights:   deep  means "light" and  avali  "a row" to become "a row of lights." Diwali is marked by four days of celebration, which literally illuminates the country with its brilliance and dazzles people with its joy. The Diwali festival occurs in late October or early November. It falls on the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik, so it varies every year. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is marked with a different tradition. What remains constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment, and a sense of goodness. The Origins of Diwali Historically, Diwali can be traced back to ancient India. It most likely began as an important harvest  festi...

Diwali special sweets—dessert platters from different Indian states Kaju Katli Credit: ThinkStock Photos Every North Indian swears by this melt-in-mouth dessert. Made by mixing powdered cashews with sugar, ghee (unsalted butter) and mawa (khoya, a derivative of milk), this diamond-shaped sweet is one of the best Diwali sweets exchanged between people during the festival and other happy occasions. Jalebi Credit: ThinkStock Photos Ask any person in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh what jalebi means to them, and they would tell you that it is one dessert that infuses joy to their festivals, weddings and holidays. Across North India, jalebi is made fresh in the mornings and served hot on its own, or with milk or rabri. Shrikhand and Basundi Credit: ThinkStock Photos Both these milk-based desserts taste divine, and hence, even the Hindu gods heartily relish them when offered during worship or special religious ceremonies. Khaja Credit: ThinkStock ...

Kolam  is a form of drawing that is drawn by using  rice  flour, chalk, chalk powder or rock powder, often using naturally or synthetically colored powders, in Sri Lanka, the  Indian  states of  Tamil Nadu ,  Karnataka ,  Telangana ,  Andhra Pradesh ,  Kerala  and some parts of  Goa ,  Maharashtra  as well as  Indonesia ,  Malaysia ,  Thailand  and a few other Asian countries.  The making of Kolam