Happy Diwali

Traditional Diwali Rangoli in front of someone's house

Lily and I dressed up for Diwali


Today is Diwali, the festival of lights, which celebrates the symbolic triumph of goodness and light over evil (well, it's a great deal more than that, but that's the abridged version!). On one hand, it feels a little like Christmas here as everything closes up for a few days while people head home, plus there are lovely twinkly lights strung everywhere you look. On the other hand, it feels like an extreme version of bonfire night. I say extreme because, as I write, the bangs, fizzes, hisses, crackles and pops outside are unbelievably noisy and relentless. I'm not kidding, it sounds like World War Three out there. The fireworks and firecrackers started a few days ago, today is the big day (I hope!) and I imagine they won't subside for another few days still. I was literally about to write that it's a miracle the girls are sleeping through it but I thought too soon as Lily has just woken up after a loud fire cracker explosion outside the bedroom window and the poor girl is now a-howlin....five minutes later and she's sound asleep again. Fingers crossed for tonight...

At school, Maya decorated a small oil burner with paint and glitter to bring in the festive season and she's now barely raising an eyebrow at all the noise, she's become so accustomed to it. At the beginning, she thought it was thunder and the poor girl looked terrified but today she announced very proudly, 'I like fire crackers!'. That's more than can be said for her Mama - fireworks are one thing, but in my view, firecrackers that just make a humungous bang and let off lots of smoke, well what's the point?! Or mabye I'm just getting old....Either way, wishing each and every one of our readers a happy DIWALI !!!!