MY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS (ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENT PLUS 1)

Deepavali is one of my favorite times of the year for several reasons, “The weather, The festivities, The amazing food, The beautiful display of lights, but mostly The time we can enjoy with our Family and Friends.” Taking place in October or November depending on the Indian calendar, the weather is just turning cool and the holiday feel is already creeping up on everyone when “the Festival of Lights” rolls around.

According to Hindu belief, Deepavali is celebrated to remember the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura. Essentially, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. In the end, Deepavali is a festival full of color, joy, delicious food, and energy.

Almost a month ago, we started our Deepavali preparations. To prepare for Deepavali, we clean and wash our entire house and paint it before the Deepavali so that it shines. Shopping also a part of it, we brought things for Deepavali cookies, decorations, and most importantly, new clothes. And I will my hair colored and get mehendi for the shops.

According to my family tradition, one day before the Deepavali, we have a prayer for our deceased family members, it is believed that they would visit us. As for that, my sister and I prepared all the foods and cleaning of the house before the prayer. It could my favorite part because I got to eat all the sweets, savory and different dishes once the prayer is over. Once the prayer is done, we usually fire up at least one cracker as symbolic the Deepavali as started.

As my sister is not good at drawing, I prepared kolam design, and to fill it, I prepared colored rice. Kolam is a traditional floor decoration made of rice or flour that is colored. Normally, the Hindus decorate their home with kolam before sunrise. They are the main two reasons for making Kolam, in front of the building, the first sign of the honor of the god Lakshmi, the God of Riches, who is believed to visit only their home with "Kolam" decoration at the entrance of their building. Food for animals such as ants, birds is another reason. It can also mean Deepavali celebrated not only by the Hindus but also by other beings in the world.

We get up early on Deepavali morning before the sunrise. We've got to take an oil bath before the sunrise. The Hindus will perform the ritual of bathing oil for the purification of body and spirit. So every member of my family takes an oil bath and cleans themselves.

Our morning breakfast, we have thosai or idli with chicken curry or coconut chutney. I like my thosai with ghee in it. Good food and happy tummy while we enjoy watching all the new movies on TV. And that how’s my Deepavali celebration ends.

During the night, I spend firing up all the firecrackers that I brought while enjoying the view around the neighborhood. We used to give our homemade cookies and a few additional fruits and drinks to our parent’s Chinese friends who are living in my neighborhood. We even received a Deepavali cake from one of my parent’s friends. 

Author: Shobana Manokaran