Light, Family, Friends
Diwali is celebrated with "extraordinary" festivity, Padmanabhan said. It has similarities to Christmas and new year festivities in other parts of the world.
"Houses are cleaned and painted to sanctify them. People wear new clothes and take pledges to begin a new life. Shops and offices are decorated with colored lights. Businessmen close their old account books and begin new ones," he said.
At dusk, homes and shops are lit up with lights and fireworks fill the skies. Friends and family gather to feast and exchange gifts. Padmanabhan added that there is no official ceremony, but the day is observed as a major public holiday.
Meghani, the California physician, said, "As with every festival, people will participate in different ways. Some will celebrate in a spiritual, religious way. Some will participate in a more social context."
On the religious side, people recount the stories associated with Diwali. On the social side, friends and family gather just as they do at any other holiday party.
Diwali itself is celebrated on the new moon of the lunar month of Kartika, which is the last day of the last month in the lunar calendar. It falls in either October or November on the Gregorian calendar, which is how the United States tracks the year. This year, Diwali falls on November 1.
"It is as important as Christmas Day, because it is a festival of lights and also as New Year's Day, because business houses start their new accounts/financial year on this day," Padmanabhan said.
Diwali in the U.S.
According to Meghani, most major U.S. cities have significant Hindu populations, and there are now an estimated 800 temples spread about the country. The biggest U.S. Hindu populations live in New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
"You'll find active programs at temples around Diwali time and prior to that a whole bunch of festivals leading up to it. You'll also find some things you might consider more social, like the traditional dances of raas-garba," he said, referring to Indian folk dancing.
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