Diwali, the festival of lights, is spectacular in India! Celebrating the victory of light over darkness or good over evil, I have never seen so many lights! Fireworks, fairy lights, lanterns and oil lamps, it was like the stars had fallen out of the sky. Homes and shops were decorated beautifully, giving a Christmas vibe with a high dose of fireworks and crackers. Oh the fireworks! I have been a huge fan of fireworks for as long as I can remember. Today (5th November) there is an annual festival in England called ‘Guy Fawkes night’ (or ‘Bonfire night’), where there are huge community firework displays and bonfires! This is not a religious festival, it’s the commemoration of the day in 1605 when Guy Fawkes was arrested for his part in the plan to blow up the House of Lords in London, where the King was holding parliament! Guy Fawkes had committed treason and was burnt alive, so every year people burn effigies of him in huge bonfires and celebrate the King’s survival with fireworks (this reminds me of the Hindu festival, Holika). Seeing the wonderful displays on those cold winter nights could not prepare me for the fireworks during Diwali! This Diwali the fireworks filled the [...]
