Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2015 | Page 158

156

Travel | Festival of Lights

A Mumbai woman creates
beautiful folk art called Rangoli
to welcome the Festival of Light.
Rangoli designs are traditionally
geometric and symmetrical
symbols of nature and life.

An Indian man crafts a tiered
diya (earthen lamp) in preparation
for Diwali in New Delhi.

An Indian potter crafting
many diya at his workshop
in New Delhi.

This year the five-day festival is set to begin
on November 10, and the whole of India
will be wrapped in a spectacle of spiritual
devotion and frenzied excitement. This
miraculous festival has, over a span of several
centuries, crossed the confines of race and
religion and is now celebrated all over
India with great pomp and gusto.
Diwali’s universal message celebrates the
victory of light over darkness, knowledge
over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over
despair. While it is celebrated in different
ways from region to region to mark different
historical events and legends, its spiritual
significance is rooted firmly in the same belief
of the triumphant power of light and good.
The name of the festival itself derives from
the Sansrkit words dīpa (meaning ‘light’ or
‘lamp’) and āvalī (meaning ‘line’ or ‘row’).
And the symbolic practice of illuminating
countless ornately arranged candles during
the holiday is believed to protect the inner
light from spiritual darkness.
While in the countryside festival celebrations
are a quieter affair – defined by humble

offerings, unique tribal traditions and
hearty family feasts – for city dwellers
the holiday is very much India’s
Christmas, complete with copious
shopping and gift giving. A cacophony
of fireworks in the sky, firecrackers
and crowded cheer in the streets give
a hint of New Year’s vibe too.
Diwali in New Delhi
New Delhi, the capital city of
India, is stupendous in terms of
monuments, forts and imperial
legacies. The festival of Diwali holds
a very special place in the hearts of
Delhites, and elaborate North Indian
rituals are associated with the festival.
Although it is a sprawling city of
nearly 1,500km2 with a population
of roughly 25 million, the capital
is a relatively easy city to navigate.

© Dinodia Photos / Alamy Stock Photo; © epa European Pressphoto Agency creative account / Alamy Stock Photo

There are festivals,
and then there is
Diwali. It is the
biggest and brightest
festival, celebrated
every year between
mid-October and
mid-November.