<![CDATA[The festival of lights….childhood revisited.]]>Diwali time….the best time of the year. Lights, great clothes ,sweets and a lot of fun. The fervour and excitement are hard to miss. There is a nip in the air and as fall is venturing into winter , what better time than this festival of lights. I will keep my friends posted about the rituals the decorations the food and traditional attire.

There is a deep sense of deja vu.

.Its childhood once again. The smell the food ,the pooja, the decorations, everything is like old times. Its beautiful.

TODAY IS DHANTERAS.

The festival of Dhanteras falls in the month of Kartik (Oct-Nov) . This auspicious day is celebrated two days before the festival of lights, DIWALI.

How to Celebrate Dhanteras:

On Dhanteras, LAKSHMI – the Goddess of wealth – is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. It is also the day for celebrating wealth, as the word ‘Dhan’ literally means wealth and ‘Tera’ comes from the date 13th.

In the evening, the lamp is lit and the goddess of wealth is welcomed into the house. Alpana or rangoli designs are drawn on pathways including the goddess’ footprints to mark the arrival of Lakshmi. Aartis or devotional hymns are sung eulogizing Goddess Lakshmi and sweets and fruits are offered to her.

The photographs are by my son Vidur.

I will keep you posted on how Diwali is celebrated in the next two days.

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL.

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