Diwali Festival Wallpapers - शुभ दीपावली 2017

Diwali is India’s ‘Festival of Light’, a time when people come together to celebrate good conquering evil, light conquering dark. Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, is the most popular of all the festivals from South Asia. It is also an occasion for celebration by Jains and Sikhs. The festival of Diwali extends over five days. Because of the lights, fireworks and sweets involved, it’s a great favorite with children. The Diwali festival celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance, although the actual legends that go with the festival are different in different parts of India.

This celebration of new beginnings coincides with the Hindu New Year and the start of the new business year, so there are prayers to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the god of wisdom and luck, for a successful year. It’s the biggest event in the Hindu calendar, and Sikhs and Jains celebrate similar festivals at the same time as Hindus celebrate Diwali.

Here are some Diwali Festival facts:
> DIWALI – Also referred to as DEEPAVALI or DEVALI – TRANSLATION – ROW OF LAMPS
> Diwali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mayanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobaggo, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji
> The day after the celebrations for Diwali is referred to as Gujarati Hindu is seen as the start of the New Year
> Bhai Bij – this is the day for a sister to worship her brother. The brother is the family’s representation of Krishna who killed the demon Narkasura
> Labh Pacham – this is the name given to the start of the new Financial Year for Hindu shopkeepers and Businessmen
> In Goa and Koncan, the day after Diwali they create effigies in the image of the demon Narkasura and burn them early evening
> Diwali Festival marks the end of harvest in most areas of India. They celebrate the year that has been and pray for a good harvest for the year to come
> the word Diwali means ‘row of lamps’. It is commonplace for rows of lamps to be outside of the homes of families celebrating diwali. The little lamps ‘dipa’ are filled with ghee (clarified butter) and light the way for the spirits
> The dipa are left burning all night and Indian homes are cleaned thoroughly to make sure that the goddess Laksmi feels welcome
> The Diwali festival celebrates the return of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshimana after their years in exile

Different parts of India celebrate or place more emphasis on different legends at Diwali. In northern India, the festival particularly celebrates the return and coronation of Rama and his wife Sita from their fourteen-year exile following the 15th century BC defeat of the ten-headed demon, Ravana. Elsewhere, many link Diwali with Parvathi, the goddess of love and devotion, while for many others, the festival primarily honours the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi; in Bengal, it’s the goddess Kali. Meanwhile, Indians in the north central region, along with the Nepalese, remember Krishna’s victory over the demon king Narakasura. The word “Diwali” literally means “rows of lighted lamps”, which gives you a good idea of what the Diwali festival looks like. As you might expect, Diwali celebrations are all about bright lights: firework displays are put on, and people decorate their homes with colorful lights and earthenware candles called ‘diyas’. Shops and other public spaces are similarly adorned. Download this Diwali Festival Wallpapers app and rate us!

Happy Diwali to all of you.