Significance of Deepavali
Depavali day,or is it night?It is a festival where people from all age
groups participate in the festivities to give expression to their happiness
by lighting earthern diyas,decorating the houses,bursting fire crackers and
inviting the near and dear ones to their households for partaking in the
sumptious feast.
The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to god for attain-
-ment of health,wealth,knowldge,peace,valourand fame.
It is one time in the whole year that children volunteer to leave their
beds long before the day begins,having delayed their retiring there, in the
first place as long as they possibly can,without incurring parental wrath.
Infact,the traditional oil bath at 3 a.m,is the only chore that stands
between them and the pre-dawn adventures,as they emerge,scrubbed clean to get
into their festive attire,and light up little oil lamps,candles and agarbathis
the wherewithal for setting alight crackers and sparklers.
Who shall set off the first chian of crackers that go boom,bang and
vroom? and who is the owner of the 10-minute banger that steals the thunder
from your little chain of needle-sized crackers?Does the boy next door have
more crackers than me?
Competition is stiff,and even the little girl in silk pavadais,frocks and their finery are watching out for the best sparklers and flowerpots,the rockets and Vishnuchakras which light-up the night sky like a thousand stars. Grown-ups are all the souls of generocity,and its nary a harsh word of reproch except a warning to stear clear ofthe crackers.Crackers,clothes, goodwishes and festive bonhomie abound,as if there is more coming from the bottomless source of all this happiness.