Happy Diwali!

Last weekend we had the pleasure of experiencing the festival of Diwali.  This holiday is known as the festival of lights and celebrates the triumph of good over evil.  In the Hindu religion this festival celebrates the return of the Lord Rama to his kingdom after his 14 year exile in the jungle.  Upon his return Lord Rama was able to defeat the evil demon Ravana.  The people of the kingdom lit lamps to celebrate the return of their lord and today this tradition is continued as people across India light small oil lamps to celebrate the holiday.  Diwali is a national holiday in India and a time when families and friends gather together to celebrate.  This festival also marks the start of the new year in the Hindu calendar.  To an American this festival is a bit like a mix between Christmas and the 4th of July on steroids.  There were literally fireworks going off all day every day for four days.  And not bottle rockets my friends, these were huge, massively dangerous fireworks.  The kind you should be at least 200 ft away from but for some reason in India it is OK to stand 10 feet away from because, "hey, everyone else is doing it!"  Yet, despite the lack of sleep and omnipresent threat of third degree burns it was an amazing festival and one that we will always remember as our first DIWALI IN INDIA! Pictures to follow (of course :-D)...