World Religions
The Hindu festival of Diwali begins next week on October 23.
It’s a celebration of light over darkness and lasts up to five days. It has roots in the revered sacred text, the Ramayana. The stars of that text, Lord Rama and his wife, Sita, return to their kingdom after fourteen years of exile. Their people light thousands of lamps to help the pair find their way home.
The festival is a big event with parties, gifts, and fireworks.
True Tube has two excellent short clips about the holiday. You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here. You can also read a short version of the Ramayana on which the holiday is based.
Atlantic Magazine’s In Focus has a great series of photographs from Diwali in 2012.
And here’s part of a great graphic from Visually.
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