Today is the first day of the important Hindu festival, Diwali or Deepawali. The Indian employees of kalmstrom.com Business Solutions will be off Wednesday and Thursday, but as usual we can always reach our dedicated lead developer Jayant. This is good to know, in case someone gets an urgent problem with one of the kalmstrom.com Outlook add-ons that Sigge cannot manage in the first line support.
Here kalmstrom.com developer Kanak Joshi will tell us more about the interesting rituals of the celebrations:
Diwali is a festival of colors and lights, and my family celebrates it with great enthusiasm. It is a five day festival, where each day has its own significance. I will share with you how we celebrate each day of Diwali and what rituals are performed in my family.
Dhanteras
On this day, at sunset, my father worships dhan (wealth in form of gold /silver/cash etc.). Dhanteras is traditionally a day for purchase of precious metals.
Narak Chaturdasi
This day is also called “Choti (small) Diwali”. Everyone in my family massages the body with oil to relieve it of tiredness and bathe before sunrise. It is believed that if one bathes before sunrise, one will not go to “Narak" (hell).
Lakshmi Puja
On this third day everyone cleanse themselves and wear new clothes. We worship the Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity. In the morning we make “Rangoli“, a decorative floor design with different colors, and in the evening we light clay lamps and burn crackers.
Padwa / Govardhan Puja
Some people also regard this day as the Hindu new year, so we visit our relative’s houses and wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. We also worship the cow, who is considered as a mother in Hindu religion
Bhai Duj
The last day of Diwali is special for brothers and sisters. Therefore all my brothers come to my house, and we exchange gifts.
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