Diwali or Deepavali is one of the most prominent festivals celebrated by Hindus. It is celebtated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month. The festival usually falls every year between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is one of the brightest and biggest festivals of India. It is celebrated joyfully all over India.
Deepavali means "row of lights" where Deep means light and avali means row. Diwali spiritually signifies victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and good over evil. On Diwali, people clean their houses and decorate their houses with flowers and lights.
There are many stories relating to Diwali and one of them is the return of Lord Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Laxmana to his home after fourteen years of exile. In this story, diyas (earthen lamps) were used by the people of Ayodhya to light the way to their home hence the festival got its name as Deepavali or Diwali. According to Bhagavata Purana, it was on a Kartik day that Lord Vishnu took Vamana avatar to kill the demon King Bali or Mahabali. The Bhagavata Purana also tells that Lord Vishnu Killed demon Narakasura on Diwali. So there are many never ending legends of Diwali.
Earlier Diwali was celebrated only with earthen lamps, but now-a-days it has become a trend that unless one explodes crackers, it is not considered as Diwali. The problem with fireworks is not only faced by small children, pregnant women, and old people, but also by other living creatures like birds and animals.
One should always remember that Diwali is the festival of lights, not the crackers. So exclude crackers from Diwali and include lights everywhere.
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