As Diwali Celebrations Light Up World, Some in India Urge Caution

Thought Question: Think of a tradition or holiday that is meaningful to you or your family. What makes it special?

The lights and frights of Halloween this year will happen at the same time as the worldwide festivities of Diwali. It reaches its peak on the night of October 31. 

Diwali is also known as the Festival of Lights. It began Tuesday and will conclude Sunday. More than a billion people around the world observe the holiday.

Diwali is observed by people of many faiths, the Hindu American Foundation explains. It goes on to explain that Diwali is meant to symbolize "light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.” 

Celebrants of Diwali often string up lights. They wear brightly-colored clothes. They sometimes make art out of vividly-dyed rice flour. And many enjoy tasty treats. One traditional treat is jalebi. It's a cake of swirled dough dipped in sugar syrup. Another popular Diwali treat is gulab jamun. It's a fried dough ball soaked with sweet rose syrup.    

A fireworks display is among the most common ways of celebrating Diwali. This year, though, the Indian city of Delhi has again banned the practice. Officials are worried it could add to the clouds of smog that have throttled the region in recent years. The air pollution around Delhi has spiked to “very poor” on the World Air Quality Index. That's been caused in part by the burning of farming debris in nearby fields.

To combat the pollution, Gopal Rai announced a “Diya Jalao” campaign. Rai is Delhi’s environment minister. Diyas are oil-burning lamps. Rai hopes that the people of Delhi will opt to light them instead of fireworks this year. 

Gif of Happy Diwali from GIPHY.