Happy Diwali 2009

Deepavali or Diwali is a festival of Lights and Lamps which is celebrated in many parts of India and by Indians living all over the world.
Diwali will be normaly celebrated on the “New Moon Day” in the first week of the Tamil month of “Iyppasi” or the last week of the Tamil Month “Purattasi”.

Diwali of 2009 is being celebrated on 17th October 2009, Saturday in India and Tamilnadu.

This year’s Diwali has become a pure “Vegetarian Diwali” being celebrated on the last day of the Tamil Fasting Month of “Purattasi”, and incidentally on a Saturday of Purattasi on a day the Fasting will be very strictly adhered to by the Hindu people celebrating the festival. The vegetables and fruits vendors had a very good business in this year’s Diwali.
The next day that is the 18th October 2009, Sunday, the first day of the Tamil Month of “Iyppasi” will be a “Non-Vegetarian” Feast day for the people celebrating the vegetarian Diwali.

In Tamilnadyu,the Diwali celebrations as usual began with everyone in the family taking an oil bath before sunrise, a custom arising from a belief that having an oil bath in the morning on the day of Diwali is equivalent to taking bath in the Ganges.

Crackers were burst as an integral part of the Diwali celebrations. And Kuthu Vilakkus/ Oil lamps were lit in the Puja rooms of the Hindus celebrating the festival.

Sweets and special items of karas made in the houses and purchased from sweet stalls were shared with neighbours, relatives and friends as another important part of the Diwali celebrations.

As usual all the Television Channesl had special events for Diwali with Interviews with Film Personalities and Debates on interesting subjects starting from the morning and ended with popular films in many channels.

Diwali marking the victory of Light over Darkness and Good over Evil is a season when people spend a lot of money in purchasing Jewels, house-hold articles, dress and sweets. This is a good harvesting season for many people in businesses related to the above things and especially crackers. Diwali is both a religious festival as well as a commercial one.