Diwali is Finally Here!!!

It’s DIWALI!!!!!!! Diwali starts with offering prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. Here is Willie all set to participate in pooja (prayer session). He is just going to light the diyas (clay lamps) purchased at the bazaar.  Let’s get lucky!  As it’s a festival of lights and prosperity, in some parts of the Punjab region, it's considered lucky to buy lottery tickets. Just to keep up with the tradition , Willie was our lucky mascot with his very own lottery ticket.

Willie here is all set for our traditional Diwali pooja (prayer session).  Look at the fruit.  Remember when Ritika's mom brought in the miniature bananas for us to enjoy on Diwali?  This is a very traditional practice that occurs in lots of Indian homes.  Just think about how we were able to do something culturally similar to millions of people half-way around the world from us?  Pretty neat :)!

Finally it’s time to burst the fire crackers......YAY..... We all had so much fun bursting crackers... We are sure Willie enjoyed this experience of Diwali, the festival of lights in India.

The pics which we have sent are as per tradition generally followed in our region of Punjab... India, as you know, with its large population is a very culturally diverse and rich country. Every state has different traditions to celebrate Diwali. We hope Willie had as much fun on Diwali as we had by having him.