Diwali at Moorhouse: How our colleagues are celebrating

“Diwali for me is all about the 3Fs – family, food and fireworks! Although I follow Jainism in which Diwali marks the anniversary of our 24th spiritual teacher (Tirthankar) attaining Nirvana we still follow some of the Hindu traditions, where we decorate the house with colour, lights and eat more food than Christmas day.

Based on the Jain religion, the 24th Tirthankar is considered the most important and Diwali marks the day where he breaks the reincarnation cycle and his soul is liberated. This is what all Jains strive for and live their life in this manner with Ahimsa (non-violence) as the foundational principle and why most Jains are vegetarian (including me!)

What follows Diwali is continued celebration of New Years and this is when as a family we visit the temple to give our blessings and pray for a prosperous new year. All in all a crazy few days and a great celebration with loved ones.“

“Personally, Diwali is about spending time with family. Growing up as a Sikh, I have memories of my family coming together, lighting candles, eating Indian food and watching fireworks. Diwali is about celebrating the good over evil and personally this is about reflecting on the good moments in life and spreading positivity to family and friends.”

“As a Sikh, celebrations of Diwali or (as it is referred to in Sikhi) Bandi Chhor Diwas, shares a lot of similarities with the other faiths. My celebrations would involve me going to the Gurudwara (the Sikh temple) for prayers – I usually go during the day, but it is popular to go in the evening and light candles or diwas outside. After prayers, we are usually given parshaad (a blessed sweet made from flour, butter and sugar) from the priest. At home, the food we cook is usually fried i.e. samosas, pakoras or bhatureh. We light candles in the house and then enjoy the fireworks. 

Bandi Chhor Diwas is important to me as it is a reminder of justice in the face of tyranny and injustice. The origin of Bandi Chhor comes from the unjust imprisonment of Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, and his ingenious method of freeing 52 Rajas (kings/princes) who are also unjustly imprisoned. The evil Emperor Jahangir said Guru Hargobind Singh Ji can free the 52 Rajas as long as they were holding on to his clothing, so he pieced 52 tassles onto his cloak for the Raja to hold. Diwas were lit to guide Guru Hargobind Singh Ji and the Rajas home.“

“As a Hindu I celebrate Diwali and it is one of my favourite times of the year. The celebratory atmosphere brings warmth as we go into longer and darker days!

Diwali is a five day festival and is full of lots of celebrations! I start the festival by cleaning my home and decorating it, preparing food and sweets and doing lots of shopping for the festival! I spend the festival getting together with family and friends and eating lots of yummy food and sweets, praying with my family in the temple or at home and lighting Diya’s to welcome the Goddess Lakshmi into my home. We also exchange gifts and at night light fireworks, which is always so fun!

I also take the time to reflect on the story of Lord Rama and Sita and what is teaches us – that good can overcome evil, and light can drive away darkness.”

“Every year I celebrate Diwali by heading back home to Manchester, spending lots of quality time with family and friends, and eating Indian food. Those who know me probably also know that what I’ve described sounds like any time I go home… So what’s different?! The vibe.  Everyone is excited and in a celebratory mood, we are looking forward to the new year and things just are more wholesome. Diwali is the festival of light, and I LOVE fireworks and I always have a fun time putting on a show for the neighbourhood.”