Diwali, perhaps the most awaited grand festival in India, is celebrated by every citizen of this country with same great zeal, enthusiasm and gaiety. It has crossed the socio-religious, cultural and even the geographical barrier successfully years ago. People of all age groups and all religions take part in this grandeur spontaneously and thus make it a national festival in true sense. You can feel the true essence of India, 'unity in diversity', in this special occasion as there are thousand ways of celebrating Diwali in different parts of India. People residing outside India celebrate this festival in their own way and get in touch with their families by sending Diwali gifts to India. Northern India: In this part of India, myth behind Diwali celebrations is the victory of Rama over Ravana. According to the great epic Ramayana, after 14 years of exile in the forest Rama returned to his capital Ayodhya with wife Sita and brother Lakshman on a new moon day of Kartik. This victorious return of Rama after defeating and killing demon Ravana was hold with great honour by the Ayodhya folks and so they celebrated the day by lighting their homes, bursting firecrackers and grand merrymaking. People of North India including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is still continuing this tradition by burning huge effigies of Ravana. Throughout this night, fireworks made using numerous types of crackers and sparklers are burnt to symbolize the vanquish of Ravana. Delhiites start Diwali celebration from the day of Dussehra. Buying of new clothes, shopping, cleaning and whitewashing home are the primary steps of celebration. On Dhanteras, purchasing of any utensil or jewellery or coins are must for the Delhi folk. And the most important is Ramlila-a dramatic rendition of the story of the Ramayan, performed in every street corners and continued for several evenings. Varanasivasi also celebrates Diwali like Delhiites. Ghats of Beneras come alive with thousands of burning diyas. For the people of Jammu & Kashmir, mainly Kashmiri pundits, Diwali is the oldest ritual finding mention in Nilmat Puran. Here Diwali starts from Ekadashi and ends in Amavasya. A tradition of keeping a fast and worshiping Goddess Lakshmi are done by the elders of the family. Punjabis call Diwali as Tikka. Besides the traditional Diwali celebration, Punjab has another great reason to rejoice on this day. Here it is also hold in honour to memorialize the release of Guru Hargobind Ji from the prison at Gwalior Fort and so they light up the entire Golden temple which makes it looking out of the world. People with origin of Northern India, now residing outside of this country convey their warm wishes to their family and send gifts to India. Southern India: In Southern India, Naraka Chaturdashi is the main day of Diwali celebrated with firecrackers at dawn after performing Lakshmi puja. Early in the morning ovens are cleaned, smudged with lime, religious symbols are drawn and then filled up with water for the oil bath of next day. The next day is new moon day when oil lamps are lit around the house. Third day is Balipadyami, the day of Vamana's triumph over Mahabali. Though in South, lighting earthen lamps is not an important custom. This custom along with fireworks and bursting firecrackers are performed on the Karthikai celebrations. Karnataka experiences a fascinating Diwali celebration as it is a traditional festival there. On this day people rise early in the morning and go to sleep late at night. Diwali in Kerala is a low key festival where beautifully dressed men, women and children visit temples and offer pujas to the God on this day. In the spirit of celebration in this festive season sending a chosen gift to India can bring smile on the face of your loved ones. Eastern India: Bengalis celebrate Deepabali (as pronounced in Bengal) in their unique way as a part of Kali Puja i.e. worship of Goddess Kali. It is the high festivity night for Bengalis. They light candles in memory of the souls of their departed ancestors. Like other states, illuminating houses by rows of earthen diyas or candles, bursting firecrackers are a common practice among all in Bengal. Diwali in Assam has different essence with burning diyas, mithais and participate in the aarti with the whole family. People decorate doorways with flower garlands, marigolds and mango leaves. Drawing rangolis to welcome guests is also a part of Diwali celebrations in Assam. In Bihar, Choti Diwali is celebrated on the day before the Diwali. On this day, women folk make beautiful rangoli in the courtyard and doorway and footprints made of rice paste are also given signifying the entry of Lakshmi into the house. Oil or ghee diyas are lit and batashe, kheel, khilone and various other sweetmeats are offered to the deities. Orissa also celebrates Diwali in the traditional way by lighting diyas. But one ritual that makes Diwali in Orissa different and unique is a primitive traditional practice. All members of a family burn Jute stems to illuminate the dark path that the spirits of their ancestors supposedly take to go back to heaven. Western India: In Maharashtra Diwali is a five day long festival starting from Vasubaras, the 13th day of the Ashwin month. An Aarti of the cow and its calf is performed symbolizing the love between a mother and her child. The next day is Dhanteras or Dhanatrayodashi, a significant day for businessmen and traders. On this day, taking a bath using Utna or scented oil as well as visiting a temple is customary. Then the family together enjoys a feast on Faral, a special preparation using delectable sweets and some spicy eatables. On the second day, Laxmi poojan, new account books are opened after Lakshmi puja and then the whole family gathers in a get together and have a bash. In some places of Maharashtra people worships house cleaning broom as a symbol of Lakhsmi. Third day is known as Padwa, the first day of the new month Kartik, and the fifth day is Bhaubeej, the day celebrating the brother-sister relationship but unlike Raksha Bandhan it is dedicated to sisters. Gujarat celebrates Diwali in a grand way. Here it commences from aaso vad Agyaras to dev Diwali. Gujaratis create colorful rangolis in their verandas depicting deities related to this festival. On the second day of Diwali, Lakshmi Pujan, each and every people of Western region perform Lakshmi and Ganesha puja. The houses are brightly illuminated with tiny earthen diyas and little electric bulbs. Fireworks and light works make the whole area looking spectacular from above. Now a days, Diwali, a festival synonymous with celebrations in India and also among Indians scattered all over the world, is an occasion for togetherness and merriment. Millions of non-residential Indian find a chance to connect with their family by sending gifts to India. To fill up their absence in this merrymaking they send beautiful exclusive gifts on Diwali.
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