Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the biggest and most important Hindu festivals. The world Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali that translates as “a row of lights”, and the festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Kartika in the Hindu lunar calendar. This usually falls on October or November in the Gregorian calendar, and the date for Diwali 2009 is the 17th of October.

Diwali festivities last five days, and different traditions are associated with each day of the festival. Some of the most important Diwali traditions are the giving of Diwali gifts and the sending of Diwali greeting cards.

During the five-day festival family members, relatives, neighbours and friends are remembered with Diwali gifts and Diwali greeting cards. Diwali cards are sent to relatives and friends living abroad, and they are also given to business associates and work colleagues. The weeks leading up to Diwali are one of the busiest times for shops in India and in Hindu communities around the world, as Diwali cards and gifts are a socially important tradition and Diwali shopping is a major event in India. Children often make handmade Diwali cards at school before the festival, and various charities sell their own Diwali cards as a means of raising funds.

Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness and of good over evil. Various legends are associated with Diwali, the most popular being the story of Lord Rama’s return to his home town Ayodhya in northern India after a 14-year exile in the island of Lanka, where he had travelled to rescue his beloved Sita from captivity by Lanka’s evil demon king Ravana. As Rama and Sita returned home to Ayodhya, the townspeople lit small oil lamps or diyas to welcome them back and to celebrate Rama’s victory over the evil king Ravana. Pictures of Rama and Sita are popular images in Diwali greeting cards.

Diwali also celebrates the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi, and Diwali greeting cards are often decorated with images of the beautiful goddess. Another popular image on Diwali cards is that of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and one of the most-loved of all Hindu gods. Diwali cards also feature pictures of Diwali diyas (oil lamps), Diwali candles and firecrackers (another favourite Diwali tradition in India) and the cards can be decorated with images of rangoli, a form of traditional Indian folk art that is especially popular during Diwali. Diwali e-cards are also becoming more and more popular with younger generations.

Sources:

Diwalifestival.org