Devali

Festivals of Light are a common theme, it seems.  Here, Divali is the Christmas equivalent in many ways. It's a big religious holiday gone commercial, a family and community celebration become a shopping spree and a round of parties. In the news are advertisements of sales, recipes for sweet & rich foods, gift suggestions, and remedies for tired faces, hair, and feet. Stress is an issue.  Sound familiar?



But here's a quote, which also may sound familiar:  "At the end of the day, Deepavali is all about giving thanks for all that you have been given and celebrating the beginning of something new."  (Times of India newspaper, City Lights section, 10/13/11 p. 1.)

There's a greater use of firecrackers here than at Christmas.

We are looking forward to our first one.  Other peoples' photos link.
Note on Indian spelling:  it isn't unusual to have several spellings for a word (kolu/golu, Dewali/Devali/Deepavali, Shiva/Siva) part of this appears to be translation/transliteration, part may be because there are so many linguistic influences across India - so there are different accents and traditions.  Other suggestions from those who know more than I do?

Differences here between Diwali and Deepavali.