Ask most people when Diwali is and they will name one night. Ask their grandmother and she will name five days, each with its own name, its own story and its own list of jobs. The one night is the third; the other four are how the festival builds up and winds down.
Continue reading The Five Days of Diwali Explained: What Happens on Each Day and Why
Two days after Lakshmi puja, when the lamps are still up and the sweets are half finished, Diwali ends with the quietest of its five days. Bhai Dooj is a ceremony between sisters and brothers: a tilak, an aarti, a meal, a gift. It has none of the noise of Diwali night and all of its warmth. For many people it is the day they remember best from childhood: a sister’s thumb pressing kumkum onto a forehead, and an envelope passed across a plate of food.
Continue reading Bhai Dooj: Traditions, Rituals and Gift Ideas for the Last Day of Diwali
