By Prisha Goyal
Diwali is the biggest festival in India. It’s a time for the whole community to come
together to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
The story goes that Lord Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, was sent into
exile for 14 years with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. One day, the brothers were
off hunting, leaving Sita alone in the house with a magical boundary surrounding it so
that no one except Rama and Lakshman could enter. A beggar came towards the house,
asking Sita for food and water. The beggar was actually the king of Lanka, Ravana, in
disguise, planning to kidnap Sita and take her as his wife back to his kingdom. When
together to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
The story goes that Lord Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, was sent into
exile for 14 years with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. One day, the brothers were
off hunting, leaving Sita alone in the house with a magical boundary surrounding it so
that no one except Rama and Lakshman could enter. A beggar came towards the house,
asking Sita for food and water. The beggar was actually the king of Lanka, Ravana, in
disguise, planning to kidnap Sita and take her as his wife back to his kingdom. When
Sita came back with the food, he threatened to place a curse on Rama if she didn’t step
over the line to give him his food in a proper fashion, so she obeyed and was promptly
kidnapped. Fast forwarding a bit, Rama and Lakshman set off on a quest to bring Sita
back, and they defeated Ravana on a day we celebrate as another festival, Dussehra. 21
days later, the three of them returned to their hometown Ayodhya, and in celebration,
the people of the village put out diyas (clay lamps) to help them make their way
home—and we still do that every year. At our homes, we put diyas—and now string
lights as well—to celebrate; people make rangolis, which are patterns of flowers and
colored powder, and traditional dishes like samosas and gulab jamuns; children and
adults alike celebrate the night with fireworks; and lastly, no Diwali is complete without visits to friends’ homes with gifts!
over the line to give him his food in a proper fashion, so she obeyed and was promptly
kidnapped. Fast forwarding a bit, Rama and Lakshman set off on a quest to bring Sita
back, and they defeated Ravana on a day we celebrate as another festival, Dussehra. 21
days later, the three of them returned to their hometown Ayodhya, and in celebration,
the people of the village put out diyas (clay lamps) to help them make their way
home—and we still do that every year. At our homes, we put diyas—and now string
lights as well—to celebrate; people make rangolis, which are patterns of flowers and
colored powder, and traditional dishes like samosas and gulab jamuns; children and
adults alike celebrate the night with fireworks; and lastly, no Diwali is complete without visits to friends’ homes with gifts!
