Indians celebrate many festivals. Based on mythological, traditional and economic reasons, some festivals are considered very important. Diwali is one such festival. It is the festival of lights. This festival is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety. Diwali is also called Deepavali, especially in the Southern parts of India. It is celebrated by evderybody, rich and poor, in all parts of the country in the fervent hope that Diwali would drive away darkness from their lives and bring them prosperity.
Traditionally, it is on Diwali day that businessmen open their new account books. Marking the occasion, they invite friends and relatives to the puja (worship) of Goddess Lakshmi, who brings prosperity. They distribute sweets and send gifts to their business associates.
The celebration of the festival lasts four days. It commences on Aswiyuja Bahula Chaturdasi (the fourteenth day during the month of Aswiyuja, the seventh month of the year) and concludes on Kartika Suddha Vidiya (The second day of Kartika). The first day of the festival is Naraka Chaturdasi, the day on which demon Naraka was eliminated by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.
According to mythology, Naraka, son of goddess Bhudevi, was bestowed with immense power by Lord Brahma who blessed him following a severe penance. Armed with such awesome power, Naraka unleashed a reign of terror in the kingdom of Kamarupa, troubling celestial beings. Unable to tolerate the oppression of the demon, they pleaded with Lord Krishna to protect them the menace of Naraka. It was not possible to kill Naraka as he had the boon that his death would be brought about only by Bhudevi, his mother. Hence, Lord Krishna asks his wife Satyabhama, a reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer during the battle with Naraka.
At one stage during the battle, Lord Krishna feigns unconsciousness after being hit by an arrow from Naraka. This prompts Satyabhama to take the bow and shoot arrows at Naraka, killing him instantly. The slaying of Naraka by Satyabhama is indicative of the triumph of good over evil. The message of Naraka Chaturdasi is that when evil reaches greater proportions in society, God takes it upon himself to root it out and restore peace and order. To express their joy at the destruction of evil, people burn crackers. That is the reason why Diwali is also called the festival of crackers.
Commemorating this joyous occasion, people greet each other, meet friends and relatives and exchange gifts. In case you intend to celebrate Diwali in a traditional manner and want to send gifts to your friends and relatives in India and abroad, you can contact us. We’d be happy to deliver your gifts and you can bank on us for timely and proper delivery of the gifts.
Celebrate Diwali 2006in the spirit of harmony and joy. Feel the bliss of being together with loved ones and exchange thoughtful Diwali Gifts selected with tender care. Diwali - the dazzling festival of lights is celebrated widely in India. Diwali (Deepavali) is the time to rejoice the triumph of good over evil. Associated with Diwali are the gifts, sweets, firecrackers and every attempt to welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
Diwali is a festive occasion of India that relieves people from worldly day-to-day routine, and make them relaxed, cheerful and happy. One of the great festivals of India, Diwali signifies many things to people across the country. For people residing in north India, this day is celebrated as Lord Rama's homecoming from 14 years of living in forests, after killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The festival of lights, Diwali, is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. Several of the traders treat this day as the beginning of New Financial Year.
Similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the harvesting season. This Festival of Lights is celebrated in every Hindu household that is cleaned and decorated with numerous flickering lamps. So, check out our gorgeous gifts, captivating cards or try some of our traditional recipes for Diwali. Enjoy Diwali with your Loved ones by sending them Flowers, Cakes & other Gifts items. May the Diwali lights brighten up your lives.....
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Gifts are a token of appreciation and affection universally. In India, gifting is most widespread for Diwali than on any other occasion, excepting marriages, anniversaries and birthdays of loved ones. India is a country with rich tradition and customs. There are lot of occasions and festivals in India through out the years. All the festivals are celebrated with pomp and show.
In each festival there is a tradition of giving gifts. And people living abroad send diwali gifts to India from a lot of Diwali gifts website on the web.
Shops dealing in apparels, sweets, electronic appliances, jewelry, cracker shops, vehicles are getting geared up for this mega festival which is going to take place in November 12th this year. Now, our country is also getting into the fast lane with females being employed more than ever before.
Double income families are, in fact, becoming the norm now in not only big cities, but also ‘b’ and ‘c’ class towns. Obviously, people’s attitudes have also changed with fewer thumbing their noses when females earn fat pay packets. This, in turn, has spawned a market for Diwali diyas and Diwali thalis, which hitherto used to be made at home by the ‘fairer sex’. The result is that there is now a wider range of Diwali products on sale. Nobody is grumbling, neither the shopkeepers nor the female homemakers. It is a win-win situation for both of them.
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Exchanging or sending Diwali gifts is a time-honored tradition, to use a cliché. But, the fact of the matter is gifting is integral to Diwali. Fruit baskets, box of sweets, silver coins, Laxmi and Ganesh idols, are among the top gifting items. Of course, these are all formal gifting items.
But, popular apparel shops never find the going better than in times of Diwali. So do the electronic appliances marts, the jewelery showrooms, or even the vehicle showrooms! No wonder, all the shops in the main roads are decked up for Diwali. Most of the Indians living north of Vindhyas consider Diwali as a new year. So, it is an auspicious time for them to purchase anything and give a lot of Diwali gifts. They, in fact, defer necessary purchases until Diwali time.
Therefore people also begin new ventures, do their housewarming and perform any other such propitious activities during Diwali time. This naturally boosts the sales of Diwali gift shops. But have we missed out on something here? Yes, the fireworks shops. They open exclusively during Diwali period. So what have you lined up on your shopping list for Diwali gifts?
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When is diwali in 2004. 12th of November. Diwali is actually derived from the original name ‘Deepavali’. Deepa in Sanskrit means ‘light’ and ‘avali’ means a row. When literally translated, Deepavali means a ‘row of lights’. As per the Indian calendar it is celebrated on Amavasya (the new moon day) in the end of the month Ashwin, which ushers in the month of Karthik around October/ November every year.
Diwali is celebrated in north India in honor of Rama's return to Ayodhya after he vanquished Ravana. He was also coronated as a king on the same day. It is celebrated twenty days subsequent to Vijayadasami. But in some states it is celebrated for different reasons. For instance, in Gujarat it is an event to welcome Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Bengalis worship Goddess Kali on this day. The celebrations are however quite uniform throughout the country. I wish this diwali 2004 would bring all the joy and happiness in everybody's lives
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In the south, Diwali has two more legends connected with it. The first legend again concerns the victory of good over evil. Narakasura the demon of hell, challenged Krishna to battle. After a fierce fight lasting two days, the demon was killed at dawn on Narakachaturdashi.To commemorate this event, people in peninsular India wake before sunrise and make imitation blood by mixing kumkum or vermillion with oil. After crushing underfoot a bitter fruit as a symbol of the demon, they apply the `blood' triumphantly on their foreheads.
They then have ritual oil baths, annointing themselves with sandalwood paste. Visits to temples for prayers are followed by large family breakfasts of fruits and a variety of sweets. The second legend is about King Bali, the benevolent demon king of the netherworld. He was so powerful that he became a threat to the power of celestial deities and their kingdoms. Intimidated by his expanding empire and taking advantage of his well-known generosity, they sent Vishnu as the dwarf mendicant Vamana, to dilute Bali's power. Vamana shrewdly asked the king for land that would cover three steps as he walked.
The king happily granted this gift. Having tricked Bali, Vishnu revealed himself in the full glory of his godhood. He covered the heaven in his first step and the earth in his second. Realizing that he was pitted against the mighty Vishnu, Bali surrendered and offered his own head inviting Vishnu to step on it. Vishnu pushed him into the nether world with his foot. In return Vishnu gave him the lamp of knowledge to light up the dark underworld. He also gave him a blessing that he would return to his people once a year to light millions of lamps from this one lamp so that on the dark new moon light of Diwali, the blinding darkness of ignorance , greed, jealousy, lust, anger ego, and laziness would be dispelled and the radiance of knowledge, wisdom and friendship prevail. Each year on Diwali day , even today, one lamp lights another and like a flame burning steadily on a windless night, brings a message of peace and harmony to the world
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The first day of Diwali is Dhanatrayodashi or Dhan teras. Doorways are hung with torans of mango leaves and marigolds. Rangolis are drawn with different coloured powders to welcome guests. The traditional motifs are often linked with auspicious symbols of good luck. Oil diyas are arranged in and around the house. Because of these flickering lamps, the festival has acquired its name : Dipawali or Diwali meaning `a rows of lamps'.
On this day, people buy something for the house or some jewellery for the women of the house. It is auspicious to be buy something metallic, ex silver.
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Every year the occassion of diwali celebration could be matched with sound of firecrakers. Homes are well decorated and earthen lamps are lit. Sweets are distributed and puja is done. Diwali could be called as the most glamoures festivals of India. For the people who don't know diwali, diwali is celebrated with same enthusiasm as Christmas in US.
The ancient story of how Diwali evolved into such a widely celebrated festival is somwwhat different for the people living in different part of the country. Afterall India is such a vast country. In the north, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and the surrounding areas, Diwali is the day when King Rama's coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after his epic war with Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.
By order of the royal families of Ayodhya and Mithila, the kingdom of which Sita was princess, the cities and far-flung boundaries of these kingdoms were lit up with rows of lamps, glittering on dark nights to welcome King Rama and Sita who were in jungle(exile) for 14 years, ending with an across-the-seas war in which the whole of the kingdom of Lanka was destroyed
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