Happy Diwali!

A week full of tacky pink, blue, orange, and green blinking strands of lights hanging from every rooftop and random fireworks going off at any given moment. This is my kind of holiday! :-)

"Diwali" is India’s "Festival of Lights"– the highest Hindu celebration. Legends differ, but here in Northern India, Diwali honors the return of a god-king, Rama, and his wife, Sita, after spending 14 years of exile in Sri Lanka and, at the end of this period, defeating Sri Lanka’s King Ravana in battle. To welcome back their victorious King Rama and Queen Sita, Indians lit up the kingdom with millions of lamps– a tradition that is still practiced today with the colorful lights and candles in every home, along with my favorite– fireworks!
The festival lasts several days, beginning with "Small Diwali" and "Big Diwali" (comparable to Christmas Eve/Christmas Day). Then comes "Bhai Duj," the day when sisters pray for the long life and well-being of their brothers. But certainly the best (and most unbelievable) is "Gover Dhan," a day actually devoted to the worship of cow dung. Yes, cow dung. Since cows are holy in India, and since their dung is useful for fertilization and construction, it also must be holy. On this day, the dung is placed on an altar and worshiped in each home. I am told that Indians living in America will even buy pre-packaged cow dung, shipped from India (because certainly Indian cows are holier than American cows), for their altars. Can someone verify this for me???
At the orphanage, the boys made a special trip into town to buy sweets and firecrackers, which were set off Tuesday night in a completely chaotic and wonderful celebration. So, from this side of the world, Happy Diwali!