The biggest festival among Hindus is called “Diwali.”
“Diwa” means “light” or “candlelight” of this sort: 🪔 that is used in prayers and meditations.
That’s why it is accurately translated as the “Festival of Lights.”
It celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. In these perilous times, that kind of Light is needed more than ever.
In the Hindu myth, Lord Rama is exiled to the jungle due to the machinations of a duplicitous stepmother. There, his loving and faithful wife, Sita is kidnapped by the evil Ravana who tries, unsuccessfully, to bend her to his evil ways till she is rescued by Rama with the help of his faithful monkey-god, Hanuman. Ravana is defeated, and the group return home triumphantly where Rama reclaims his rightful place as king, ushering in an era of peace, plenty and joy.
Diwali is the celebration of that return.
Happy Diwali, everyone.
Nov., 2021.