For as far back as I can remember, Diwali has been my favorite festival. For me and my family, Diwali symbolizes celebration, new beginnings and being grateful for what we have. It is the time to celebrate with family and friends, feasting, celebrating and sharing joy together.
Diwali symbolizes the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Diwali literally means a row of lights (diyas) referring to how the houses are traditionally decorated with lots of clay oil lamps. The light from such lamps guided Lord Rama back to his kingdom from 14 year exile on the moonless night. India is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Although certain aspects of Diwali are common throughout the country, different regions have their own ways of celebrating. Diwali is celebrated for 5 days with each day having its own significance.
It is very easy to spot a Diwali house. If you see a house decorated with fairy lights in your neighborhood, a row of lamps and rangoli (Designs made with colored powder) outside the house on porch, you should be able to guess that it is Diwali time.
Celebrating Diwali for me means re-creating the nostalgia of what I experienced as a child. When I was growing up in Mumbai, India, I always used to look forward to the festival. The preparations used to start weeks in advance. We will start cleaning the house and my Mom would start making sweets and savory treats. This will go on for weeks leading up to the festival. I used to be very excited to go around the neighborhood and burst firecrackers and sparklers. This is changing now for the better, as we want to make sure we do not harm the environment ensuring a clean Diwali.
Now that I have been living in the US for long, we still follow the same traditions of cleaning the home, putting fairy lights around the house, decorating our patio with Rangoli. Also no Indian festival is complete without loads of delicacies. I do miss my extended family though.
My kids were born in the US and we feel it is even more important now for us to celebrate the festival so that they can learn our traditions.
We have a small Indian community in and around Santa Barbara and we are lucky that we get a chance to celebrate the festival with the community. Every year there is a huge Diwali celebration where kids and adults alike get a chance to do dance and musical performances in front of a packed crowd. Although, this year there is no Diwali gathering because of the pandemic, we will be celebrating in our homes and keeping the spirit alive.
I wish everyone a very Happy and prosperous Diwali.
Deckers Careers 