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Wishing all a Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali.

RabzonKhan

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Wishing all a Very Happy and Prosperous Diwali. :wave:

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Thank you! Happy diwali to you also!

Lets celebrate the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness!
 
Happy diwali to all. For those of you who dont know what diwali is, here is a brief description:

Deepavali, or Divali, (Markiscarali) is a major Indian festival, and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Many legends are associated with Diwali. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being . The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, particularly the Newar Buddhists. Hindus tend to treat and celebrate Diwali as Christians treat and celebrate Christmas.

Diwali - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW, i just found out that this year diwali is supposed to be on the 28th, according to Wikipedia.
 
Rising inflation dampens Diwali preparations

October 27, 2008

By Amar Guriro



KARACHI: Like elsewhere in the world, Hindus in Pakistan will celebrate their god Rama’s return from the forest after 14 years of exile in the festival of lights, called Diwali, on Tuesday. All the preparations for the festival have been completed, with Hindu families of the city renovating their houses and cleaning their neighborhoods.

On Tuesday evening, Maha Laxmi or Lakhshmi Pooja (worship of the goddess of wealth, Laxmi) will commence and houses and temples will be decorated with lights.

However, it is unfortunate that the preparation for the festival has been affected by the recent increase in prices of commodities, with even the prices of earthen lamps, which are an important part of the festival, increasing.

“The prices of earthen lamps have risen by about 100 percent in comparison with last year and this will definitely have an effect on the celebrations this year,” said Dr Neel Kanth Sharma. “Diwali or Dipawali means the festival of lights, so it is important to light lamps on Diwali night.”

In villages, these lamps are easily available but in big cities like Karachi, it is difficult to get these lamps. “In Karachi, we celebrate the festival by lighting candles but most people prefer to light lamps, as it is the traditional way of celebrating Diwali,” said Pakistan Hindu Federation’s DM Maharaj, adding that even candles have become expensive. He stated that normal sized earthen lamps used to cost around Rs 15 to 20 but now they cost Rs 40 and that every Hindu family buys dozens of these lamps to light their homes on Diwali night.

Quoting the official figures, he revealed that 2.2 million Hindus are living in Pakistan and a majority of them are poor. “Hindu festivals need a lot of money to celebrate and the increasing prices of earthen lamps has greatly affected the celebration of the poor families,” he said.

Maharaj explained the importance of Diwali for the Hindus. On this day, Hindu Avatar Rama returned to his Kingdom Ayodhiya after his father, Dasrath, asked him to go live in a forest for 14 years. While he was living in the forest, one day Raavan, the King of Lanka, abducted Seeta, Rama’s wife. Rama fought a long war to get back his wife and also to conquer the Lanka, so on the day he returned to his Ayodhiya, the people celebrated and, thus, the day became a religious festival. “Diwali is the last day of the Hindu calendar, so it is supposed to be the most important festival,” said Maharaj.
 

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