2. DIVALI The Festival of Lights

3. INTRODUCTION: What is Divali ? Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the biggest Indian festivals and also a major occasion in Nepal. The festival has great religious significance for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and the Nepalese. In India, Diwali is now considered to be more of a national festival, and is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith. It is commonly celebrated by decorating homes with lamps and candles, bursting of firecrackers and sparklers, eating sweets and other mouthwatering dishes, praying to Gods and Goddesses, observing religious rituals, wearing new dresses and sending wishes and gifts to one another.

4. Why do we celebrate Divali? The festival celebrates Lakshmi, goddess of light and wealth, as well as the New year and the story of the Ramayana. Divali, whose name means “garland of lamps,” is marked by the lighting of lamps and candles (inviting the goddess into the house ), feasting, and exchanging of gifts.

5. When do we celebrate Divali? Though the number of days of the celebration of the festival differ with different communities, the actual days of observance of Diwali are common and fall on exactly the same set of days across Nepal and India. Going by the Gregorian calendar, Diwali in India is observed generally in the months of October or November. The festival comes exactly twenty days after Dussehra, another sacred Hindu occassion, and is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashvin. Divali is celebrated in October/November and marks the homecoming of Rama after his victory over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna's destruction of the demon Narakasuran. Clay oil lamps are placed inside and in front of every hindu home, turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights.

6. How do we celebrate Divali? Hindus celebrate the Divali New Year festival with bright lights, gifts exchanges, fireworks, and elaborate feasts to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of lights and wealth. Once every year in Divali houses all over Mauritius lights up. The darkest of nights becomes the brightest. This is why Hindus celebrate Divali as the festival of light. Light bring joy and happiness in every home. To enhance the joy of Divali both young and old light firecrackers at night.

7. What happen during Divali? Known as the "Festival of Lights," Diwali commemorates the time when the Lord Rama returned to his hometown Ayodhya after defeating the evil demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Lord Rama was the king of Ayodhya who had, by his father's orders, went away from his country to live in the forest for fourteen years. But the people of Ayodhya loved their king very much and waited for years to meet with him again. And so, when news of Lord Rama's return came to them again, the people of Ayodhya, in the honour of their king and to celebrate his victory, burst crackers, lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), and decorated the entire city in the grandest manner. Year after year this homecoming of Lord Rama is commemorated on Diwali with lights, fireworks, bursting of crackers and merriment.

8. Why is Diwali called the "Festival of Lights"? Diwali is known as the "Festival of Lights". This is probably because of the manner in which it is observed. The festival is traditionally celebrated with activities like bursting crackers, lighting rows of candles and diyas (earthen lamps) around individual homes, holding dazzling fireworks display and igniting colourful sparklers. Today Diwali is celebrated across the world as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. The festival gets its name Deepawali, or Diwali, from the rows (avali) of lamps (deepa) that the people of Ayodhya lit to welcome their King.

9. A Guide to Divali sweets Sweets play a big role in the Diwali celebrations. The festival of Diwali is associated with fireworks, decorations, and lights. However, another important part of the celebrations deals with mithai or sweets. Traditionally, around this time, the entire household would get together and prepare an array of mouth-watering sweets for the family members. These sweets would be distributed to the neighbours as well as the people who came to visit. Various kinds of mithai are also offered to the goddess Lakshmi, during the Diwali puja. Examples of some sweet prepared during Divalisweets Motichoor laddu, jalebi,kaju katli,peda,Barfi,Rasmalai

10. Traditional Dress for Divali Women’s clothing during Divali festival: Sari The sari (saree) is the most popular outer garment of women of the Indian subcontinent. It consists of a piece of silk, cotton or synthetic cloth, five to seven yards long which is worn wrapped around the body with the end left hanging (the pallu) or used over the head as a hood. The border of a sari is usually embroidered and this is often a status symbol. Also different regions of India have specific methods of wrapping the cloth. A short tight fitting blouse called a choli is usually worn under the sari.

11. Shalwar and Lengha Shalwar The shalwar (salwar) is a pair of light loose fitting trousers with a tight fit around the ankles. This is usually worn by East Indian women with a kameez which is a long tunic extending to the hips or knees. A matching dupatta (an unstitched length of material draped over the upper body) is also part of this outfit. The lengha (lehnga) is one of South Asia's favourite garments, worn frequently at weddings and other formal occasions. It is a long skirt worn either with a choli or a longer kurti top (tunic). Lengha skirts come in many varieties which are described below: Gaghara - A full flared skirt, usually with a broad fitted belt around the waist (as worn by this model). Garara - A divided skirt, similar to culottes or flared bell-bottoms. Sharara - This is similar to the gaghara, but it is cut in an A-line pattern and the flare usually begins at the knees.

12. Men’s clothing during Divali festival: White Kurta and Paijamas (Pyjamas) The kurta is a loose collarless shirt worn by both men and women, usually with paijamas (drawstring trousers), a shalwar, or churidars (tight trousers). This ensemble also includes a bandi ( waistcoat) and a dupatta. Dhoti The dhoti is a style of East Indian men's wear. It is formed by wrapping a piece of cloth in a specific manner about the waist and legs. It is usually white or cream in colour.

13. DIVALI Project Submitted By Abeda Takun,Priyeshna Ramlugun,Prerna Rawoo,Yadhvi Goordyal,Nagma Mahamood,Shreeya Gopaul Form IIB, Bon accueil State College, Mauritius Acknowledgement We would like to thank,firstly,the Almighty God,our teacher Mr Ujoodha(Chemistry teacher), Parents and Everyone who helped us. Thank-you all