Happy Diwali!

Background (compliments of Wikipedia)

Diwali,or Deepawali, (also called Tihar and Swanti in Nepal) (Markiscarali) is a major Indian and Nepalese festive holiday, and a significant festival in Hinduism and some of the other faiths which originated in India - Jainism and Sikhism. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being. The Sanskrit word Deepavali means an array of lights that stands for victory of brightness over darkness. The festival marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. Symbolically it marks the homecoming of goodwill and faith after an absence, as suggested by the story of Ramayana. On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes, share sweets and snacks.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali for more details relating to the stories.

Part 1: Thursday night

On Thursday night, I went with Mrs Boodie (my landlady) and her friend Desiree to the sea wall for the Diwali motorcade. We took a taxi as close as we could, but there was a traffic jam of people trying to get to the sea wall. We walked there and then along the wall looking for a place to sit that wasn’t too crowded. As it got closer to 8pm, our quiet little place became just as crowded as the rest of the wall. Vendors sat up in front of the wall and walked along the wall selling almost everything you could think of: cotton candy, honey roasted peanuts, regular peanuts, sugar cane and every kind of beverage you could imagine, plus light-up necklaces for the kids and squibs (aka firecrackers) which are illegal in Guyana. Mrs Boodie made sure I was well fed with cotton candy, honey roasted peanuts and regular peanuts. Best honey roasted peanuts I’ve ever had.

The motorcade itself was probably about eight floats in total. All the vehicles were covered in Christmas lights. Some were over the top, others were tastefully done. The common theme usually included a central focus around who I believe to be the goddess Lakshmi sitting on a water lily. Most floats had musical instruments, especially drums. The Ministry of Health sponsored a float that had a red ribbon in lights, always a reminder. The motorcade was quite the event with hundreds of people in attendance, sitting and standing on the sea wall. We left right after the vehicles drove by, but the rest of the crowd showed no signs of leaving.

Part 2: Friday night

Maria picked me up around 6pm with her two daughters, Megan and Geneva, and their cousin Marie. She greeted me with a cup and told me to drink. I trust her, but it’s still makes someone a little nervous to drink something they can’t see and don’t recognize the smell of – but my special surprise was freshly squeezed mango juice! Delicious!!

We did a bit of a driving tour to see the diyas lit up. Some houses use Christmas/fairy lights. Some go all out while others only have a few. Our first stop was at Maria’s friend Indarie whose house was aglow with Christmas lights and diyas sprinkled the balcony and her front yard. She greeted me with open arms and a hug even before who she knew who I was which was wonderful. She has two of Maria’s puppies who were very happy to see their mom and smell their siblings. Indarie took great pleasure in sharing with me some of the traditional foods made for the special day including sweetmeats, channa, mithai, and other things that I can’t remember the name of but were sweet and tasted good. She sent us home with care packages.

Our next stop was at Nalina and Noel’s. Nalina went to school with Maria for pharmacy. They decorated their house with diyas, but had to put them in paper bags because the wind would blow them out otherwise. Noel loves birds and showed us his rare purple parrot, some finches, budgies and a toucan!! Nalina also cooked up a feast and shared with us pholouri, vermillia, curry, sweet rice and ghugara. She sent me home with my very own package.

The most beautiful sight was quite unexpected. When I came to Guyana, I was surprised, but have become accustomed to the squatters areas and their shacks. Poorly built. Old tin. Aging wood. A place that I can’t imagine anyone living, let alone families. Almost every house as we drove along had diyas lining the path and up the stairs to the house, being tended with care. Here, on the darkest of nights, is where I saw the brightest lights.