King Rama was exiled in the forest. He fought a lengthy war against Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, and kidnapper of his wife, Sita. King Rama slays Ravana, rescues Sita, and together they make their way back to Ayodhya, the capital of Rama’s kingdom. But finding their way home is not easy in the dark. So the people of Avodhya lit rows of lamps, called diyas, along the way to light their path through the darkness.
This is the story of Diwali. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
Today Indians decorate their homes, inside and out, with fairy lights and diyas to help Rama and Sita on their way. It is believed lighting diyas welcomes prosperity and well-being into the home. This pleases Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. I’m sure we could all do with pleasing Lakshmi at this time :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment