Hindus, Jains and Sikhs around the world will celebrate Diwali (or Deepawali) for a five day period starting this Friday. In Hindu tradition, this event celebrates King Rama’s return from a 14 year exile in the forests. When he was welcomed back, people set out “rows of lights” or “deepavali” (“diwali” for short) to welcome his return.

The larger meaning for the lights, which to this day comprise a major part of holiday decoration, is the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil.

Diwali is celebrated differently in India, Guyana, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago, Britain, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Africa, Australia and the US among the Hindus across the world.

In India, for example, Diwalli decorations are as plentiful as Christmas decorations are in the U.S.

Wikipedia does an excellent job of highlighting how this holiday is celebrated differently in different parts of the world, or by different religious groups. Here is just the tip of the description:

The most repeated version is that Hindus celebrate Divali to mark the time when Lord Rama achieved victory over Ravana. Some also view it as the day Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura or in honor of the day Bali went to rule the nether-world, obeying the order of Vishnu. In Jainism it marks the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, which occurred on Oct. 15, 527 B.C. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith. In India, Divali is now considered to be more of a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.

For Hindus, this is a joyous time, with an emphasis on family and charity and thanksgiving. It is similar in feeling and importance to a combination of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Passover. Folks xchange cards and sweet treats. The houses are cleaned to sparkling, and people dress in their best clothing. Families will give to charities. The family will also go to the temples to pray. The temples are specially decorated as well.

The holiday, despite its different nuances among different groups, has taken on a pan-India presence as a national celebration by religious and non-religious people alike, much as the American Thanksgiving.

The spiritual meaning mentioned by Wilipedia are worthy of note, and describe the deepest jewels of this holiday.

While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light".

Central to Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, imminent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

Deepavali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing sweets, and worship. While the story behind Deepavali varies from region to region, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things

This year, The U.S. House of Representatives , by a vote of 358-0, passed a resolution taking note of the holiday -- the first such congressional acknowledgement. A similar resolution is before the Senate.

Here is an article from Religion News Service about the Diwali resolution.

(RNS) American Hindus are welcoming the passage of the first congressional resolution commemorating Diwali, a religious holiday celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.

“We are extremely happy,” said Suhag Shukla, legal counsel for the Hindu American Foundation. “It's just one more step in having everyone at the table — every religious tradition, every faith community, different ethnic communities.”

The bipartisan resolution passed the House of Representatives late Monday (Oct. 29) with a vote of 358-0. A similar resolution has been introduced in the Senate.

On Oct. 2, Congress passed the first resolution acknowledging the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Diwali is also known as Deepavali or the festival of lights. The holiday, which falls on Nov. 9 this year, has a different religious significance for each faith. For Hindus, it marks the triumph of good over evil, or light over darkness.

The resolution is a significant step toward increasing understanding of the holiday and the nation's 2 million Hindus, supporters said.

“When you have the most powerful legislative body in the world recognizing a festival that is significant to Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, it's important from a moral standpoint,” said Ishani Chowdhury, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation.

Happy Diwali to all our bloggers who celebrate this beautiful holiday. Please share with us what you have planned.

Related Blogs:
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In A Wide Angle View of India, Nita, who is a serious writer and palm reader, sends happy Diwali wishes and gives valuable information about fireworks and the dangers caused by improper use during festive holidays. The use of fireworks or “crackers” as they are called, is so extensive that it causes serious injuries each year and actually changes the pollution levels substantially. There is even a movement to ban them from private use.

Bhavna of An Indian Summer shows us some beautiful decorating ideas for Diwali, her favorite holiday. I absolutely loved the picture of the small wooden chest with decorated brocade fronted drawers – it shouldn’t be that hard to make…

The The Yum Blog offers a yummy recipe for a special nut and dried fruit mix for Diwali.

Neera in Our Almost Everyday Blog talks about planning for the holiday away from her beloved India. She includes great pictures of her adorable children.