Diwali celebrations bathe the world in festive light, color

Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, was celebrated across the world by Hindus, Sikhs, and others from November 6 to November 10 or 11, depending on the region.

People around the world decorated their houses with earthen lamps and electric lighting for the festival, which came to a close yesterday.

Sikh holiday overlaps with Diwali

Often coinciding with Diwali is Bandi Chhor Divas, a Sikh holiday which was celebrated on Sunday this year. To mark this event, the Sikh Temple in Wan Chai was recently decorated with strings of blue LED lights, attracting large crowds of local residents.

Online comments praised the beauty of the lighting, saying the temple bathed in blue light looked as magical as the ice castle in Disney's Frozen.
Bandi Chhor Divas commemorates how Guru Hargobind – the sixth Sikh guru – used his wisdom and perseverance to secure his release from imprisonment by the Mughals in the 17th century, and lead 52 imprisoned Hindu kings to freedom.

The temple will be illuminated every night from around 6.30pm to 9.30pm until November 24.

Five days of festivities

Over the five days of Diwali celebrations, people exchanged sweets and festive greetings with friends, relatives, and neighbors.

On the third day, the main day of celebration which fell on Sunday this year, people dressed in their finest clothing.

As night fell, people set off firecrackers and enjoyed specially prepared home-cooked meals, including curries, fried breads, and a variety of desserts.

The festival's highlight was special evening prayer offerings at home mainly dedicated to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth.

Leading up to and during the festival, markets and shopping malls saw huge crowds as people indulged in festivities, buying sweets, gifts, dresses, electric lights, and other decorative items.

Worldwide celebration

Primarily a Hindu festival, over the years, Diwali has been celebrated by people from diverse religious and community backgrounds.
It marks the victory of good over evil, with Lord Ram having killed the demon Ravana to retrieve his wife from the latter's custody.

Commemorating Lord Ram's return home – said to be in Ayodhya district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh – after 14 years in exile, Diwali is celebrated across India and around the world every year.

However, a major downside of the festival has been the steep rise in air pollution levels due to the bursting of firecrackers.

On Sunday evening, the Indian capital recorded an Air Quality Index exceeding 400, categorized as "severe" by the federal government's Central Pollution Control Board.

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