Festival of Lights: A Happy Diwali to all Asian

Delhi in her Diwali night today at 9.50PM,Friday,9 th Nov.2007 is engulfed with complete smoke of fire crackers and echo of crackers continuing as Indians celebrate their festival of Lights.Rupees trillions worth business conducted in this week of festivity which are days of purity for people to initiate their objects.

The Most colorful festival of Indian subcontinent is being celebrated today as the entire country goes in worshipping Godess Lakshmi and Lod Gandesh,as Lakshmi the Godess of wealth and Ganesha the good omen Lord to give success in acts of human for the welfare of all human beings.Festival of Lights,lighting a an oil based lamps a symbolic way of our spirit to get rid of darkness and let the inner light lit our self.it is also said the that as invention of fire came to knowledge of human beings,the comforts from chill winter and food for body flourished in primitive ages.Each house is lit and decorated with hundreds of earthen lamps and candles give an aesthetic look to the cities and town,villages with fireworks at its best in evening to midnight brings call of Lord Rama back home from his fourteen years of exiled imposed to Him by his stepmother.

http://www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-celebrations-around-the-world.html
http://www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-in-singapore.html

Washington, Nov 8 (PTI) The Indian American community has celebrated Diwali at the White House in the presence of senior US and Indian officials.

"Diwali celebrations at the White House, this year, has special significance as the US House of Representatives for the first time passed a resolution recognising the "religious and historical significance" of it just a few days ago" said Arathi Krishna of the Indian embassy.

The festivities took place in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House, and was attended by the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns among others.

It saw the senior US officials praising the current state of relationship between both countries and is also hopeful for the potential in further growth over the years.

H S Rao London, Nov 8 (PTI) Diwali was celebrated in all its colour and gaiety at the
historic St James's Palace in the heart of London.

The event, supported by The Hinduja Foundation headed by NRI industrialist S P Hinduja, also marked The Duke of Edinburgh's Award celebration, which was attended by The Earl of Wessex, KG KCVO last night.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his message, said "I am glad to learn that the UK charity, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, has chosen the auspicious occasion of Diwali to celebrate this year's award scheme." "Diwali is a joyous festival and a time of celebration. There is a large Indian community in the UK which add to the country's
cultural diversity. I wish the Duke of Edinburgh's Award all success in contributing towards better understanding among communities and cultures," Singh said in the message read out by India's acting High Commissioner to the UK, Asoke Mukerji.

Among the sizeable number of distinguished invitees who attended the
event were Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, Asian of the Year for
2007, Lord Khalid Hameed, NRI industrialist Sir Gulam Noon, Chief of
Vitabiotics Kartar Lalvani, and leading NRI hotelier Joginder Sangar.

G P Hinduja, President of the Hinduja Group, introduced the Guests to
The Earl of Wessex.

The 466-year-old St James's Palace, built by Henry VIII, remained one of the principal Royal residences for over 300 years. PTI

One of the festivals that unite the people irrespective of their religion and nationality is Diwali in Singapore. Hindus celebrate the annual Festival of Lights - Diwali - with elaborate light and candle decorations, creating a beautiful spectacle as the night draws in. The festive atmosphere generates a feeling of joy and happiness and is to be felt and shared in Singapore. As a policy, crackers are not sold to avoid noise pollution and only sparklers can be bought.

To mark Deepavali- the Hindu festival of lights, "Little India" on Serangoon Road is decorated with lights, garlands and colorful arches. Today, Little India is the emotional and commercial center of the local Indian community. On Diwali day, children accompanied by parents will go to open area to light the sparklers since most of the people live in high-rise apartments.

There are more than 18 temples in Singapore and it is customary to offer prayers at the temples. The whole atmosphere provides a feeling of being at home and enables newcomers to easily integrate with the rest of the society. This reminds us of the Tamil proverb "Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir" which means, 'every country is my own and all the people are my kinsmen.'

Diwali in Canada:

Ottawa, Nov 2 (PTI) Celebrating Diwali at Canada's Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said India's pluralistic and democratic traditions were an example for the world to follow. Amidst chanting of vedic mantras by nine priests from different parts of the country, traditional puja was performed at a colourful ceremony here in which besides Harper, Stephen Dion, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, and R L Narayan, the High Commissioner of India to Canada participated.

Harper commended India's cultural heritage and its commitment to linguistic, ethnic and spiritual pluralism.

"India has amassed a millennia-old history of linguistic, ethnic, and spiritual pluralism. Such diversity has, at times, posed significant challenges for India and complemented the country in successfully meeting the challenge," he said.

"India is making a determined effort to alleviate tensions and reconcile interests through its democratic institutions. Where far too many other countries have failed, India is succeeding," the Prime Minister said while celebrating the Hindu festival of lights last night.

Diwali celebration in Thailand is insanely huge and is called Lam Kriyongh. The celebration is almost the same as the Diwali customs in India. Lamps and candles are placed on banana leaves along with a coin and incense stick and are set afloat on a river. This gives a wonderful view when thousands of candles are set afloat on the river in the evening.

Nepal: Nepal is another good place to see the magnificent Diwali celebration. Diwali in Nepal is called Tihar. Just like Indians, Diwali is celebrated here to honor the goddess of wealth (Lakshmi) and the God of prosperity (Ganesha). The whole of Nepal is decorated with lights and lamps. Special foods like sweets of different forms are prepared to mark the festivity. Fireworks and crackers are used widely all around. Myanmar: Myanmar has a good number of Hindu population and most of the Hindu festivals are celebrated over there.

Diwali celebrations in Myanmar is really full of glory and fun and is celebrated as per the Hindu solar calendar. The day of the festival is celebrated by worshiping God. The Houses are decorated with lights and lamps, special foods are prepared, gifts are exchanged and fireworks are enjoyed to mark the occasion.

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Mauritius Diwali
Diwali is celebrated with great enthusiasm at Mauritius as this country have great Indian crowd. The Diwali celebrations at Mauritius is as good as in India. The festival of lights- Diwali is celebrated in October/November. Diwali marks the victory of Rama over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna's destruction of the demon Narakasuran. Earthen oil lamps are placed in front of every home turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights. Hindu community of Malaysia constitutes about 8% of its total population. The community celebrates Diwali festival as a symbol of triumph of good over evil. The Malaysian people call Diwali as Hari Diwali. The south Indian tradition of oil bath precedes all the rituals of Diwali Festival. The Diwali celebration includes visits to temples and prayers at household altars. Diwali is celebrated almost all over the Malaysia except in Sarawak & Federal Territory of Labuan.

The Indonesian island of Bali is famous for celebrating the festival of Diwali, as a majority of the population here are Indians. It is one of the most revered festivals of the locals here. The celebration and rituals of the festival is mostly similar to that celebrated by their counterparts in India.