We are celebrating Diwali this week. For those of you, unfamiliar with Diwali, its one of the most magical festivals of India. In a country that boasts of dozens of happy , colourful, beautiful festivals , that is no small feat! Preparations for Diwali start weeks in advance. Every nook and corner of the house is cleaned up and then cleaned up some more. Walls are painted, gifts are bought, sweets and treats are made in bulk, and decorations are done. The major among the last being the “Rangoli”. Colored powder, paints, flowers and lamps are used to make intricate patterns on the floor. Being creatively challenged, making rangoli was never my forte. I often
wondered at the patience of people who spent four to five hours to create something gorgeous on the floor, only to be swept away the next morning. But they say kids teach you everything. This year I learned that the rituals we observe during a festival may or may not serve any religious purpose. But they form traditions, that tie generations together, creating a happy thread that joins us to our past and future. I learned that “rangoli” is not about the colors on the floor. It’s about the memories in your heart. And two hours spent on creating memories for life seemed like time wisely spent!
- M making Rangoli
The ‘rangoli‘ won’t make it to any design book but I hope the memories will stay in her heart forever!
Wishing you all an year-full of happy magical memories. Happy Diwali!
Just another wake-up call 
Happy Diwali Sapna! The rangoli is beautiful; I’m sure the colors will last in her memories forever 🙂
same to you shivya! They will certainly remain in my memory forever 🙂 Are you back home for diwali?
Not yet, last week in Spain!
happy diwali to you and your family.
celebrations are beautiful when done with a communal spirit.
very true amira! I grew up in a boarding school where every festival was celebrated with great gusto so even though I am not hugely religious I absolutely love the festivity of Christmas, lohri, Holi, janmashtmi, Id and even independence day . which was no less than a festival in its own right back at school
belated deewali wishes….
thanks so much ! For an impertinent savage you sure are very well mannered 🙂 🙂
Wishing you joy and much happiness in the coming year Sapna. Hope you had a blast 🙂
Dil garden garden ho gaya! Happy diwali to u 😀
🙂 I hope the butterflies came visiting !!! Thank you. Hope you had a btfl diwali too
“The ‘rangoli‘ won’t make it to any design book but I hope the memories will stay in her heart forever!”
Nicely said. 🙂
Happy Diwali Sapna, hope you had a great one.
we had a great one here shubham. hope you did too!
Late, but happy Diwali.
The joy of your festivals and how it weaves your families together is wonderful.
You’ve nailed it valentine. they do weave familied together and bring immense joy (even a lot of hard work! but then that’s part of the deal ;)) thanks valentine.
Ha, how many reasons do we have to muster up … for celebrating ridiculous festivals?
Hi Msatheikal, it seems like you dont like festivals. I on the other hand adore them. not for the religious implications but for the traditions. also many festivals that we celebrate in India have reasons and logic that are based on Earths climatic cycles. I feel this helps us be closer to Earth and nature. but I can appreciate your feelings! Festivals can also be the cause of a lot of wastage and excesses.
thanks for the pingback! love the rangoli designs. Beautiful !
Belated Happy diwali to you and your family. It’s one of my most favorite festival. Although it’s been long time since last time I celebrated it. 🙂 I hope you people had a great diwali.
what? not celebrating diwali!!! why? hope that corrects itself from next year 🙂
You are right! It is with a heavy heart I erase the rangolis I draw.
I can totally understand that. In our house we’ve worked out a weird solution to that. We make alpanas with paint. It stays for a long time. A little bit of diwali that stays forever