The time on my phone said “7:00 AM.” Really? For the second day in a row, the incessant popping sound of firecrackers had started at sun-up. Can anyone explain the appeal of setting off these colorful explosives in broad daylight? Seriously. Alas, such is Diwali (pronounced: “Dee-vawl-ee”). The Festival of Lights-well, the OTHER festival of lights- is a three-day celebration of the triumph of good over evil (**Read the note below for more information). Those of us without family to celebrate with were invited to a feast, followed by chaos, at our director’s home.
About twenty of us gathered on their apartment building’s rooftop to gain a better understanding of why the United States (well, I can only speak for California) has so many restrictions on where and how firecrackers can be set off. Emerging from the stairwell, it sounded like we had entered the civil war (and I ardently praised God that this is a peaceful part of the country)…booms and pops surrounded us. It was truly an amazing sight.
As someone with ADD, it was almost like torture: where do I look first?!? We’d hear a steady flow of cracks from one side of the building and turn to look, but see nothing; then, hear a boom on the other side and catch the fading dust of what must have been a giant green explosion. This went on continuously for hours! Much of the excitement originated from our group on the roof.
Reason was momentarily abandoned for the joy of playing with fire and watching things explode. One building next door must have felt under attack as several bottle rockets went awry. Thank goodness they didn’t retaliate! And thank goodness for tin roofing, cement walls, and steel window frames. Words cannot capture the experience, but I am so glad I was able to witness (and live through) this holiday.
Boy, was I grateful to find our apartment building still standing as we pulled in later that evening. Some neighbors had decided it was a good idea to set their small collection of “crackers” off in the covered carport. Awesome.
**Wikipedia (the oh-so-trusted source of information…ummm) shares that Diwali, or Deepavali, is “a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.” The “victory of good over evil within every human being” is symbolized by the use of lights or lamps.
For some, “it is the homecoming of King Rama of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest, after he defeated the evil Ravana.[5] The people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deeva), thus its name: Deepavali. This word, in due course, became Diwali in Hindi.”
There are other significant reasons for the celebration, which can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali. This site is also to be thanked for the photo.
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