"Schoolgirl Bhargavi, 7, arranges garlands made from marigold flowers at a roadside stall on the eve of the Hindu festival of Diwali in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad October 16, 2009. Flowers are offered to Hindu gods and goddesses on the occasion of Diwali, the annual festival of lights that was celebrated across the country on Saturday, October 17th." (REUTERS/Krishnendu Halder)
"October 17th marked the celebration of Diwali among Hindus and other groups around the world. Diwali is also known as the "Festival of Lights" (the name translates as "row of lamps" in Sanskrit). The festival marks the homecoming of Hindu God Rama to Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest following his victory over Ravana, and signifies the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness. Celebrants observe Diwali with fireworks, colorful lanterns, lamps, garlands, sweet treats and worship."
The Big Picture has a photoset of 33 images related to Diwali.
A minor quibble. Diwali is shortening of Dipawali, which translates to "row of lamps". Diwali, as a word, doesn't have any meaning (in terms of literal translation). It is just a more convenient substitute of the longer, technically accurate word. I know you have just copied the description from TBP, so can't really put you at fault here.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ambuj. For readers, here's more from Wikipedia:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali