As the end of the year 2020 approaches, so does the holiday season, typically full of socializing, gift giving and spending time with family and friends. This year will be somewhat different amid a pandemic which will curtail our gatherings as it continues to fill us with uncertainty.
Celebrations may be different this year, perhaps virtual or in smaller sizes, but we will find new ways to enjoy the season, perhaps with deeper meaning and more reflection as we alter both our customs and mindset amid Covid-19.
Ringing in the holiday season here at Mitchell Martin is Diwali – the largest and most important holiday celebrated in India. With a vibrant, colorful culture and rich tradition, it’s almost impossible to imagine the dizzying magnificence of their celebrations. Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali would be like the American Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah all rolled in to one. Sparkling and radiant lights, powerful symbolism, tantalizing foods and several days of both joyous celebrations and quiet contemplation round out this auspicious holiday.
We at Mitchell Martin have traditionally celebrated Diwali alongside our Indian colleagues both here in the US and in other parts of the world by getting people together. This year, it is not possible to gather, but we are still celebrating! We have asked our teams to share their stories, insights and thoughts about Diwali so that we can all partake, albeit virtually, in this important holiday.
The Meaning of Diwali
Chandni Arora
Diwali, for my family and I, signifies new beginnings. It’s important to my family and I because it allows us to celebrate revived energies that perhaps faded away during the year. It’s essentially a booster that gives us strength to finish each year with hope. It’s a celebration of togetherness.
This year Diwali is extra special because of Inaaya (my 1st baby). We will be celebrating by lighting up candles and mini oil lanterns (diyas) in our home. We will also do a prayer together as a family. Dinner will be ordered from outside and the night will end with yummy Indian desserts. Finally, Diwali is incomplete without any fireworks so we will light some sparklers.
Krishna Mohan
We celebrate a five-day festival; we decorate our home with lights, Diya’s & flowers and Goddess Laxmi is worshipped for wealth and prosperity. All our family wear new clothes on the night of Diwali, share gifts and also burst many firecrackers.
- Day 1. Dhanteras (Day of fortune)
- Day 2. Naraka Chaturdasi (Day of knowledge)
- Day 3. Diwali (Day of light)
- Day 4. Annakut (New Year)
- Day 5. Bhai Duj (Day of love between siblings)
Kaladhar Pendli
Diwali is the celebration of victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. This is how we begin the day on Diwali:
- We begin the festival day offering prayers to God.
- We decorate our home with beautiful and colorful flowers.
- We cook delicious sweets and traditional recipes on the day, we invite guests to our home.
- We wear new and traditional attires and in the evening we light diyas all around the house.
- We fire crackers in the evening and have loads and loads of fun with family and friends.
Krishna Vasamshetti
As per my knowledge Diwali is for 5 Days long.
- 1st day: Many of them clean their homes and shop for Gold or Silver etc. (This day is called Dhanteras)
- 2nd day: Decorate the homes with diyas (lamps) and rangolis on the floor.
- 3rd day: Main festival where families gather to feast & pray and enjoy day with firecrackers.
- 4th day: Day four is the first day of the new year where friends and family visit to exchange gifts and well wishes (Mostly Celebrate in north side of India)
- 5th day: Brothers visit to the married Sisters who welcome them with Meal.
Shalin Thakkar
Diwali means Deepavali, festival of lights. It gives immense joy to individuals, elderly and to kids. Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Similarly people will overcome the pandemic situation sooner.
We celebrate with diya and lighting, home decoration, shopping, fireworks, puja (prayers), gifts, feast, and sweets. We visit close relatives to celebrate the moment. This year, due to Covid, we are celebrating Diwali at home without meeting people, but we offer prayer to the god for wellness of the people around the world.
Manoj Kumar
Diwali is also called Deepawali . The word ‘Deepawali’ means rows of lighted lamps. Diwali is one of the biggest and my favorite festival we celebrate in India. This festival is celebrated in the Hindu month of Kartikamasam which falls sometime during October or November. We worship the Lord Ganesha for welfare and prosperity and Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and wisdom. It is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile and his victory over the Demon Ravana.
We decorate our house by flowers and lamps with making good tasty special food and sweets we wore traditional dresses when the Laxmi pooja done in the evening & we fire crackers.
Gopinath Gorak
We celebrate the Deepavali festival with our family members and friends, relatives. First, we light diyas then we do pujas for lord Laxmi Devi, we light firecrackers with our friends.
Vishal Agarwal
Diwali is one of my favourite festivals we celebrate, enjoying with lot of fun we celebrate for 3 days in which we do light lamps in Houses, shops and public places, decorate with small oil lamps called diyas. We do prayers and take God blessings and the fun part is buying new cloths & see lots of fireworks.
Prakshant Raj
Diwali (Deepavali) is celebrated for two days with Family and Friends, Distribution of sweets, burn firecrackers, decorate home with colourful lights. This is festival is mainly celebrated as per saying killing of bad deeds.
Sailesh Hakimpalli
Diwali is about love, about bonding with family, of celebrating together and lighting up the darkness.
Prior to the festival we clean our houses and decorate with Diyas to ensure Goddess Laxmi enters our place and blesses us and our family with her love and good fortune. We make home-made sweets and savories which add to the excitement of the festival and finally we all will get busy in firing the crackers.
Many of us are living life in stress. We always try to balance everything but it is difficult to handle the things. This Diwali try to give someone happiness and feel the real peace from inside your soul. I wish everyone to celebrate this festival to light up their lives with love, happiness and peace.
Manikantha Reddy
Diwali – It was on this day the Demon Ravana was killed by Lord Rama which symbolizes the victory of lights over darkness. For me Diwali means not only spreading the lights in my life but also spreading the lights in other life’s too and be good Every time. I always remember that always good wins over bad.
All the family members gather together on Diwali and we put Danteras and light earthen oil lamps at home and will decorate house with lights of different colors and we enjoy bursting the firecrackers.
Due to Covid, we would like to limit the celebrations this time and wishing Covid(demon) should vanish early.
Sunitha Gajula
Diwali is a festival of lights. It is one of the biggest and grandest festivals celebrated mainly in India. Diwali is a festival commemorated to mark joy, victory and Harmony. Diwali is also known as Deepavali. It is celebrated after 20 days of the Dussehra festival. The word Deepavali is a Hindi word which means an array of Lamp ( ‘Deep’ means earthen lamps and ‘Avali’ means a queue or an array).
Diwali is celebrated in the honour of Lord Ramchandra. As per Hindu Mythology, it is believed that on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. During this Exile period, He fought with demons and the demon king Ravana who was the powerful ruler of Lanka. On Rama’s return, People of Ayodhya lit diyas to Welcome him and celebrate his victory. Since then, Diwali is celebrated to declare the victory of good over evil.
Diwali includes Diya and lighting, home decoration, shopping, fireworks, puja (prayers), gifts and sweets.
Shiva Kumar Ramavath
Diwali is one of the India’s biggest festivals. It is a festival of lights and every Indian celebrates it with joy. During this festival, people light up their houses and shops and worship Lord Ganesha for good welfare and prosperity and Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and wisdom. But in this COVID time we need to be very careful.
Diwali is a five-day festival in many regions of India;
- Day 1 : Dhanteras – Dhanteras is also a major shopping day, particularly for gold or silver articles
- Day 2 : Naraka Chaturdasi – The Hindu literature narrates that the asura (demon) Narakasura was killed on this day by Krishna, Satyabhama and Kali.
- Day 3 : Lakshmi Puja – On the evening of Diwali, people open their doors and windows to welcome Lakshmi, and place diya lights on their windowsills and balcony ledges to invite her in
- Day 4 : Padwa, Balipratipada – This day ritually celebrates the love and mutual devotion between the wife and husband. The husbands give thoughtful gifts, or elaborate ones to respective spouses
- Day 5 : Bhai Duj, Bhaiya Dooji – The day ritually emphasizes the love and lifelong bond between siblings
This year I am going to my relatives’ home in New Delhi for Diwali after 6 years. We will be gathering there and prepare some sweets and other food items to enjoy the day. We are avoiding crackers this year which is a not happy but looking at air pollution and COVID situation we made this Diwali will be as “Go Green Diwali”
Hemanth Thatiparthi
Diwali to me is one of the biggest and brightest of Indian festivals, is celebrated for different reasons across India and among the diaspora. Uniting them is the spirit of hope and renewal, of goodwill, hospitality, and community living.
Diwali was celebrated as a significance of triumph of good over evil after lord Krishna’s Victory(kills) over “Narakasura”. Hindus of eastern India associate the festival with the goddess “Kali”, who symbolises the victory of good over evil.
In this pandemic situation, the Diwali festival should start with a positive note with the preparation for this grand festival starts with cleaning my house. Then we decorate our places with flowers, lamps, lights and rangolis. Like all other festivals in India, food too plays an essential role in Diwali. From delicious sweets or delectable savouries. And also gift sweets to our friends and families to wish them luck and prosperity for the coming days.
This is festival we celebrate with many reasons like, the day goddess Lakshmi roams the earth, While South India celebrates Diwali as a one day festival, most parts of north and north-west India observe it as a five-day festivity, each area with its own significance and each dedicated to a different deity.
Krishna Rao
Diwali is the festival of lights, lights in lives, the word Diwali meaning ”rows of lighted lamps”, Diwali means the Awareness of the Inner Light. In a way it is the celebration of the awakening and awareness of the Inner Light which has the power to outshine darkness and clear all obstacles in life.
I celebrate Diwali with my family and friends and well-wishers, I want to celebrate this Diwali in my home only because of Pandemic situation
Thank you to our team members for giving us a glance in to their Diwali celebrations this year. Even though we are not able to join you physically, we are with you in spirit and send our warmest wishes for peace, love and prosperity to you and your friends and families.