Celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights

The five-day festival is celebrated every year between October and November. Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance"

In India, it is celebrated to mark Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana after defeating Ravana in Lanka and serving 14 years of exile.

The festival is widely associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth and other deities like Kali, Kubera and Dhanvantari.

It is a major cultural-religious event celebrated not just by Hindus but also others across religion.

The festival is celebrated twenty days after the Dusshera.

Here is a brief about the five-day-long festival :

The first day is celebrated as Dhanteras, usually a shopping day, especially for gold or silver. People clean and decorate their homes and make rangoli on their floors using colored rice or powder to bring good luck.

The second day of the festival is celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi.

The third day is the main day of the festival, it is the day of Lakshmi Puja. People burst firecrackers, visit each other bringing gifts, sweets, and have a feast with family and friends.

The day after Lakshmi puja is marked as Govardhan Puja.

And the last day is known as "Bhai Dooj" which is dedicated to the bond between sister and brother.

On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, grand celebration of Deepotsav in Ayodhya is going on where more than 5.51 lakh earthen lamps is been lighted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and wrote."सभी देशवासियों को दीपावली की हार्दिक मंगलकामनाएं। Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali! May this festival further brightness and happiness. May everyone be prosperous and healthy."

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal wrote in his tweet," Wishing all a happy & prosperous #Diwali. Let the light of every diya be the bearer of hope, health, and happiness."

However, this year the Government has banned the sale and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali to fight pollution and because of the ongoing covid-19 crisis.

This year people may not be visiting each other physically and celebrate the occasion virtually so that they can maintain social distance and celebrate responsibly.