Diwali Celebrations: Around The World

Colourful food, light eliminated everywhere, fireworks, gifts, lots of fun explain the aura of Diwali. Diwali also is known as the festival of lights and it can literally make your eye sparkle throughout the day!

Celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains for specific reasons, the main theme of Diwali runs around the triumph of light over evil or darkness. Diwali is celebrated with great pomp and joy throughout the country.

Diwali is a 5-day festival that also coincides with the Hindu New Year. Although there are many reasons behind celebrating Diwali, one among the common beliefs belongs to Lord Rama.

It is believed that Diwali is celebrated after Lord Rama and his wife, Sita, came back to the kingdom from exile after defeating the demon Ravana.

In order to welcome Lord Rama, locals had set their own version of lights and crackers. This tradition is carried out since ages and even today, it is considered to be one among the biggest Hindu festivals.

Well, Diwali is not only the festival of India that is celebrated only in India, there are many other countries as well that observe the festival of lights.

So, here we would mention to you different ways in which the festival of lights is celebrated around the world.

1. Hanukkah

Hanukkah is known to be one among the popular Jewish festivals, where eight lamps are lit with oil. It signifies that one lamp was enough in the temple which was reclaimed by the Jews from the Greek invaders. With lots of lights, colourful foods, and gift exchanges, Hanukkah is celebrated on a large scale by the Jews.

2. Tihar

The festival of lights is known as Tihar in Nepal. The Tihar festival is celebrated for five days in general but the tradition is quite different as compared to India. Diwali is celebrated much differently in Nepal. They worship Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali and each day is dedicated to a particular ritual. There is a tradition of feeding rice to the cows on the first day, the second day is dedicated to dogs and so on.

3. Yi Peng

Yi Peng is a national festival of Thailand, which is celebrated in the month of November. It is believed that wishes of people come true who release lanterns high in the sky. The celebration takes place on a large scale, where the primary function includes paying homage to Lord Buddha. Many tourists around the world come to celebrate this festival in Thailand.

4. Festival Of Lights, Lyon

Lyon is one among the popular festivals of France, which takes place on a large scale. The festival is celebrated for a span of four days which includes exchanging gifts, food, celebration and many events held in the place. One among the best things about this festival is, every year, citizens take an effort to light up the city with candles and other illuminating items. World-class artists and architects participate in the event to show off their talent.

5. Lantern Festival

The lantern festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in Chinese calendar. This festival is celebrated in the month of February or March, which marks the final day of the traditional Chinese festival. The lantern festival is also known by the name, Shangyuan festival or the Yuanxiaofestival in China.

6. Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is celebrated in America where the tradition and rituals are as same as Hanukkah. Kwanzaa is celebrated for one week, which features the harvest food from Africa. The festival of Kwanzaa is actually a celebration of hope, happy family and prosperity of the city and its people.

7. Pingxi Lantern Festival

Pingxi Lantern Festival is the festival of lights where the celebration is as similar to the lantern festival in China. This festival includes releasing lanterns in the sky, which includes messages of well-being and prosperity of the owner. It is believed that once the lantern is released high in the sky, it will carry the message further. The whole city illuminates with the colourful lanterns.

8. Kene Pumpkin Festival

Held in October, the Keene Pumpkin Festival is an annual Halloween celebration that is celebrated in the New Hampshire town, Keene. This festival is believed to be the extension of the famous Halloween festival, where there is a competition of making the biggest pumpkin pyramid. With plenty of beer and lights, the city sees a fairytale come to life during this time.

9. The Venice Carnival

The Venice Carnival is all about light and drama and is certainly known as one of the colourful festivals in the country. Most of the tourists in Venice come during this time in order to witness the lights and celebration of the city. The Venice Carnival includes colourful boats, masks, parties, band entertainers and lots of light in the town. The city comes alive during this festival and becomes the hot topic of the town.

10. Indonesia

Indonesia celebrates Diwali as India does! The celebration of Diwali in Indonesia is quite less and polite as compared to other countries. With new clothes, decoration, gift exchange, food and lots of crackers, Indonesia celebrates the festival of lights as India does.