Diwali!

Diwali (dee-val-ee)

I think Diwali might be the happiest time of the year here. The debilitating heat of summer is fading into little more than a memory with temperatures in the mid 70’s every day. Night temperatures dip into what could certainly be considered “cold” or at least “chilly.”

Diwali is called The Festival of Lights. Although certainly true, practically speaking this is not the first descriptor that comes to my mind. I would name it “The Festival of Explosions.”

As I drove in from the city today I swerved around conspicuously placed advertisements for fireworks, each of which proclaimed itself “BEST IN THE WORLD.” At one intersection there was a life size version of Big Foot wielding a sub machine gun. Happy holidays.

Now technically Diwali lasts for 10 days, but it all culminates with a big bang tomorrow evening. People will set candles outside their doors leave gifts of food and trinkets for their favored gods in their domestic shrines. In addition they will paint ornate multi-colored murals all over the ground. At one large bookstore after ascending on the escalator you are greeted with such a flamboyant piece of art. Although certainly beautiful I wasn’t really sure if I should walk on it, or tip toe around it (I chose the latter, I may have been the only one, I don’t know). One of my neighbors will pay homage to the resident ant mound and offer both a mural, and gifts to the ants.

Now my flat (apartment) sits behind 2 restaurants both of which are open very late. Most of the firecrackers will be detonated in the earlier evening, however the employees at said restaurants never want to miss out on the fun and will begin their own celebration around 3am. Beneath my window.

I really enjoyed Diwali last year. With a complete absence of [enforced] laws regarding such explosions the whole city turned into a party of some form. Small children threw strings of firecrackers at busses and cars before running away laughing into their parent’s arms. People filled the streets (during traffic) seeing how long the wick would last before releasing their perfectly timed experiment. I expect this can become a journalist’s thanksgiving as the next day’s paper seemed to be littered with stories of festivities gone awry.

Diwali is tomorrow. boom.


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