Diwali, or Deepavali, is one of the most important holidays in India. It is a five day festival in which many students go home to be with their families and celebrate. Translated as "row of lamps", this holiday is full of lights, fireworks, lanterns, small clay oil lamps, and kolam (brightly colored powder decorations):
The clay lamps are filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil and are lit during the night. Similarly, fireworks and firecrackers are set off to drive away evil spirits.
All over campus lights were strewn across buildings. It felt like the holidays back home so I was overjoyed to see all of the color :)
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| Credit: Danielle |
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| Credit: Danielle |
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| Credit: Danielle |
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| Appropriately deemed "The Castle". Credit: Danielle |
I was lucky to be at Manipal during this celebration! One of my favorite events was the "let's go green" lantern event. Taking place at End Point, a park-like grassy area overlooking Manipal, students bought paper biodegradable lanterns, lit them, and sent them on their way! All in all, over 1,200 were lit. It was an amazing thing to experience and be a part of!
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| Credit: Meg |
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| Credit: Danielle |
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| Credit: Danielle |
While the lights were beautiful, the fireworks did get a bit old...especially after midnight. Each year, hundreds of people die during Diwali because they are set off so haphazardly. I had to run through a basketball court one night since five or six people were individually setting off fireworks with no warning or synchronization! It was pretty intense. Thankfully, none of us got hurt.
Diwali was truly an amazing festival to experience. The amount of lights, from any source, is breathtaking and the memories will last a lifetime!
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