Celebrating Cultural and Religious Festivals

1.                  Greeting – Shubh Diwali (Happy Diwali)   17 October 2009

2.                  Diwali is a Hindu & Sikh festival

2.1              Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights and is also a significant religious celebration for adherents of Sikhism and Jainism. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. The name of the festival comes from a Sanskrit work meaning ‘row of lights’ and this is reflected in the tradition of decorating one’s home with brightly coloured lights throughout the week of the festival.

2.2              The legends associated with Diwali are numerous. Across many parts of India, the festival commemorates the homecoming of Rama after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over Ravana. In Sikhism, the story of Diwali is a narrative of the Sikh struggle for freedom since it celebrates the release from prison of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, and 52 other princes with him in 1619.