Vijay: How I celebrate Diwali

Hi everyone, my Name is Vijay and I celebrate Diwali. I'm going to share my Diwali story with you all.

What is Diwali?

Diwali or Deepavali is a festival of lights that celebrates the victory of light over dark and good over evil, and the blessings of freedom and enlightenment.

Diwali is celebrated every year, but the dates change because of the position of the moon. It’s usually celebrated between October and November.

The name comes from Sanksrit dipavali, meaning "row of lights.” On the night of Diwali, people who celebrate light candles and diyas, which are clay lamps, placing them throughout their homes and in the streets.

I have also created an Easy Read guide about Diwali here.

How do I celebrate Diwali?

I celebrate it with my family when we go to visit a few temples to pray to the gods these include Ganesh and Hanuman.

We also see relatives at their house or relatives come to our house for a chat and catch up. We are usually given sweet Indian treats from our relatives.

By going to the temple, it’s important to me to do my prayers and offerings to the gods so that there are no evil spirits around my family for the year. I have to admit my favourite bit of the day is getting sweet treats!

Here is a photo I took at a temple it shows the offerings people make to the gods the offerings are food and this is a token of appreciation for the gods blessing a family with a good life.

I would love you to share any traditions or celebrations in your own family. Please comment on thos post with your own story!