Diwali in Jaisalmer

I took the opportunity of five days off to head to Jaisalmer for the Diwali break. I realized (after a couple of nights of disturbed sleep due to the load bursts of fireworks going off in the middle of the city streets, echoing from the city walls) that this was the first time I had actually spent Diwali in a city that was celebrating it. Usually I head to someplace where I can escape. It was neat though, to see the small traditions that go along with the holiday, and get beyond the overwhelming noise of fireworks that accompany it as well. To see women setting out small oil lamps on their steps to light the night and drive away the darkness of evil spirits. The brightly colored rangoli welcoming the Goddess Lakshmi into homes. The the next morning when I went out early, watching the women carefully shaping mud into designs in front of their doorsteps, adding an incense stick, some rice, flowers or other items to show their wishes for the coming year. Then later, admiring the fancy dress as people took the day to visit their families. Yes, Jaisalmer got a bit crowded with Indian tourists for the holiday, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to see some of the small traditions that accompany the five days celebration.

Diwali in Orchha

There was a small part of me that was hoping that going to Orchha for Diwali break would bring an opportunity to experience a true Diwali celebration. After all the last two years I've been in a desert camp and in Catholic Goa. But Orchha, Orchha is a Hindu town. So I thought that perhaps I'd get a truly local experience. At first it seemed like Diwali might be restricted to people painting their houses, adding a new layer of color to brighten up the town. Don't get me wrong, I loved the bright blue, pink and yellow houses! But I was hoping for more...of course it is hard to know what to expect when you can't even identify which day is the proper Diwali...not that I'm any closer to being able to identify that. The second day we were there, it seemed that the number of people pouring into town had doubled or tripled. Almost all of them were making their way on foot to the large temple in the middle of the town dressed in their finest clothes, many of them waving peacock feathers in their hands. That seemed a bit more like a celebration, but not quite what I was expecting, after all Diwali is known as the festival of lights. I never did see many lights, but the the electricity only seemed to run from about 7-11 pm. However, the last morning we were there, we were awoken by the sound of drums. A peak over the balcony to the riverside revealed trucks coming in with the trailer full of men (all men). As they arrived the guys climbed down and began to get dressed...get dressed up in costumes of "women" (which often just meant tight short shorts, a skirt made out of flowers or some other type of adornment - never mind that women dress quite conservatively here). From what we could figure out on the particular holiday in this particular region of the country, villagers meet up and the men dance as the women are not allowed to. Most of the dances occur along the water front to the beat of the drums. Some groups of men strike sticks as they spin and jump. Others focus more on a jumping aspect. I'm not quite sure I can tell you what the meaning of the dances are, I would assume for good luck/food/fortune but that would be pure speculation. It was a bit uncomfortable being out on the road during that time as there really weren't any woman out and about. But of course I couldn't resist a small wander to take pictures and soak up the unexpected celebration I had landed in the middle of.

Happy Diwali!

May you have a bright and well lit holiday

Welcome the goddess Lakshmi with your lights

Turn away evil spirits with the burst of firecrackers 

Celebrate good over evil with your row of lamps

Diwali

The season of Diwali is alive and well in Delhi, and I feel as if I'm getting a bit of a Christmas season without it being Christmas. There was a large celebration at school, with the field lit up with more lights then I thought they could hang, an Indian dance performance, two guys wandering around on stilts who scarily would pick up little kids and dangle them above their parents, a chance to get a bit of henna done, and of course a good meal with friends. Then there are the decorations that have popped up in unexpected places. School is all dressed up for the holiday, even though we're actually going to be gone next week when Diwali occurs, with some more of the colored rice patterns which continue to amaze me and a multitude of golden clay lanterns and some small figurines of Hindi gods. There are even some melas going on that vaguely remind me of the Christmas markets in Prague and Germany. Vaguely....after all it isn't cold, and there is a whole different set of crafts (and cheap junk) that is available here. I even got to exchange a small gift with my maid who seems happy that I'm leaving so that she'll get the whole week off. It is a holiday season and I'm happy to take whatever type of celebration I can get...hopefully we'll get to experience a bit more of the lights that are supposed to accompany this holiday in Goa.