The personal narrative is all about the memories of one’s past that hold a major significance in their life. As far as my personal experience is concerned, I would like to share a cultural and religious fair (festival) that I visited many times since childhood. It is celebrated every year at Golden Temple in Amritsar which is a province of Punjab (India) .It is celebrated in the month of November every year. It’s called Diwali, Majority of Indians celebrate the festival of Diwali. This celebration is mainly a Hindu festivity, but people from other Indian religions too have been known to join in to celebrate Diwali which is also known as the festival of lights. Thousands of small clay lamps are lit all along the streets and lakes and the sight is a breathtaking yet serene one. The celebration depends on the timing of the lunar calendar. Generally it falls on late October or early November. People from all walks of life celebrate the triumph of good over evil on this day. The light symbolizes the triumph of good over the dark which is the evil. Among the many associated rituals, it is customary to clean one’s houses to welcome prosperity and good fortune. Hence, during the week before Diwali, many homes are spotlessly clean and the festivities continue for five days. The festival also is a time of sharing and you will find many people sharing sweets and other delicacies and gifts during this time. Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama, along with his wife Sita, from his 14 year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of capital of Rama illuminated the kingdom with lighting the small clay lamps and by bursting firecrackers.
During my experience with Diwali in 2009, I learned a lot more things about my culture and my country. I took all my friends from school to my house to celebrate and I told them all about our culture and our traditions, that how we celebrate this festival and it tells us how always good people has keep their victory over bad people in our culture.
It is celebrated over a span of around five days. On the first day, cities, towns and villages would be lit up. The atmosphere is joyous. Households, especially those of businessmen, invite Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. Farmers celebrate the first day by worshiping the cow, the main source income. The second day is “small Diwali” and the womenfolk prepare for festivities of the following day. Children and older folks burst crackers in anticipation of the main festivities on the third day. We made designs symbolic of pleasing and welcoming Goddess Lakshmi by evening. Early on the third day or “Big Diwali,” the entire household is awake before daybreak. We took bath, offered