Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy by millions of people across the world. Here's a step-by-step guide to how diwali is celebrated, from preparations to the actual day of festivities.

Step 1: Cleaning and Preparing the home (Pre-Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
In many cultures, cleaning the house before diwali symbolizes making space for good fortune, positivity, and new beginnings. It’s also a way of honoring the goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) by offering her a clean, welcoming home.

How to Do It:

• Clean all rooms of the house, especially places where you’ll do the rituals and celebrate.
• Declutter your home to make it look neat and organized.
• Set up decorations, such as rangolis (colored patterns) at the entrance and hanging lights around windows and doors.

Step 2: Buying New Clothes and Gifts (Pre-Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Wearing new clothes symbolizes a fresh start and a new year. Exchanging gifts promotes love, goodwill, and the spirit of giving.

How to Do It:

• Purchase new clothes for yourself and your family. Traditional clothes like sarees, lehenga cholis, kurta-pajamas, or sherwanis are popular.
• Buy gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. These can be sweets, decorative items, or tokens of appreciation.

Step 3: Shopping for Sweets, Snacks, and diwali Essentials (Pre-Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Diwali is also about indulging in delicious sweets and treats, so preparing in advance ensures you have everything ready.

How to Do It:

• Stock up on Diwali-specific sweets like laddoos, barfis, gulab jamun, jalebi, and rasgullas.
• Get ingredients to make traditional snacks such as chakli, mathri, or sev.
• Ensure you have enough firecrackers, diyas (oil lamps), candles, incense sticks, and pooja materials like flowers, fruits, and kumkum for the religious rituals.

Step 4: Decorating the house with Diyas and Lights (Day Before Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Lighting diyas symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.

How to Do It:

• Light Diyas: Place small oil lamps (diyas) around your home, especially near entrances, windows, and balconies. These diyas symbolize driving away darkness and bringing light and positivity into the house.
• Fairy Lights: Decorate your home with colorful fairy lights to add to the festive cheer.
• Rangoli: Create beautiful, colorful patterns at the entrance of the house or in the courtyards with colored powders or flower petals.

Step 5: Performing the lakshmi pooja (Main diwali Ritual)

Why It’s Done:
On diwali night, families worship Goddess Lakshmi to invite her blessings of prosperity, wealth, and well-being into their homes.

How to Do It:

• Prepare the pooja Area: Set up a clean, sacred space. Place idols of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha (the remover of obstacles), and sometimes, Lord Krishna or Lord Rama.
• Offer Prayers and Offerings: Light incense sticks, diyas, and offer fruits, sweets, and flowers to the deities while reciting prayers. The Lakshmi Ashtakshari Mantra is often recited during this time.
• Make a Prayer for Prosperity: Ask for blessings for the well-being of your family and for success in the coming year.

Step 6: Lighting Fireworks and Sparklers (Evening of Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Lighting fireworks and sparklers symbolizes the joy of celebrating diwali and also celebrates the victory of good over evil.

How to Do It:

• Safety First: Make sure to follow safety guidelines when lighting fireworks, ensuring they are done in open areas, away from flammable materials.
• Firecrackers: Fireworks like rockets, flowerpots, and wheels light up the night sky. Traditionally, people light these in the evening to mark the victory of light.
• Sparklers: Children love to play with sparklers, which are fun and safe, as long as they are supervised.
• Eco-Friendly Options: You can opt for eco-friendly firecrackers or even enjoy watching light shows to reduce the environmental impact.

Step 7: Enjoying Sweets and Feasts (Throughout Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Sharing sweets is an essential part of diwali, symbolizing the sweetness of life and the joy of being with loved ones.

How to Do It:

• Feast on Traditional Sweets: After performing the pooja, enjoy traditional Diwali sweets like gulab jamun, rasgulla, kaju katli, barfi, jalebi, and laddoos.
• Share Sweets: diwali is also about sharing joy, so exchange sweets with friends, neighbors, and relatives as a gesture of goodwill.

Step 8: Exchanging Gifts and Visiting Relatives (Diwali Day)

Why It’s Done:
Diwali is a time to show love, appreciation, and bond with family and friends. Exchanging gifts is a way of expressing gratitude and good wishes.

How to Do It:

• Gift Exchange: Give and receive gifts such as clothes, jewelry, home decor, or even money as a symbol of good luck for the year ahead.
• Visit Relatives and Friends: Go to friends’ and family members’ homes to greet them, exchange gifts, and share in the diwali joy. It's a time for socializing and strengthening bonds.

Step 9: Giving Back to the Community (During Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Diwali is a time for kindness, and giving back to those less fortunate ensures that the joy of the festival is shared by all.

How to Do It:

• Donate to Charity: Many people donate food, clothes, or money to charities or to those in need.
• Volunteer: Spend part of your diwali by volunteering at shelters or helping those who may not be able to celebrate the way you do.

Step 10: Reflect and Be Thankful (Throughout Diwali)

Why It’s Done:
Diwali is not only about celebrations, but also about reflection and gratitude for the blessings of the past year.

How to Do It:

• Express Gratitude: Take a moment to reflect on the blessings you have in your life, be it family, health, or happiness.
• Set New Goals: diwali is also a time to set new resolutions or goals for the year ahead, ensuring a fresh and prosperous start.

Conclusion:

Diwali is a multi-step celebration filled with deep spiritual meaning and joyful customs. Each step, from cleaning the home to lighting diyas and sharing sweets, is part of an age-old tradition that signifies renewal, victory of light over darkness, and the triumph of good over evil. Whether it's through rituals, feasting, or spending time with loved ones, diwali is about embracing positivity, kindness, and prosperity in your life.

Disclaimer:

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