Diwali the festival of lights has been celebrated for years by the Hindu and Sikh religion. It symbolises the battle between Ravan and Lord Ram and the return of Lord Ram and his family after his 14-year exile from Ajodhya. On his return the people of the village welcomed him with lights.
The festival is also one of the most exciting and colorful festivals. Prosperity, togetherness, celebrations, and compassion are the main characteristics of this celebration. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and new year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness.
For me Diwali is a festival that I celebrate with my family and loved ones in our local gurdwara. It’s also an opportunity to connect with the Asian community and feel part of a bigger family. We also get the opportunity to dress up and wear new clothes. The best part of Diwali for me was being able to light fireworks before November the 5th it used to make my friends jealous. However, it’s also about hope and good fortune for the following year. My mother always told us to make sure you clean your home and buy something silver. If you didn’t clean your house, you would get no good luck. So, this encouraged us all. After cleaning my house, I would light up the divas and put some tealights on to the porch so they lights can be seen from the sky. I wanted to ensure I was keeping away the darkness from my home. On occasions we would also meet up in our family homes with our cousins and celebrate together. These times were amazing and there was so many of us. We had so much fun in our childhood and because of festivals like this we remain a very strong family.
Even today we still meet up and celebrate with each other, but we are more careful of the use of fireworks. Not as brave as I was when I was younger!
However, since my mother passed away, I ensure that a candle is lit at the gurdwara in her absence every Diwali. Either I do it myself or my mum’s sister. My mother loved the time she spent in the gurdwara and she made so many friends and was an active servadar (a person that helps voluntarily in the gurdwara). She would always ensure we went to the gurdwara for Diwali and New year. Blessings from the Gurdwara were a must from my mum. I feel at ease every year lighting a candle for my mum as I feel she is still with me celebrating this joyful event.