Days in the Northern Hemisphere are getting shorter. But many communities around the world will still be bathed in light this week. That's because Diwali begins today. It's also known as the festival of lights. It reaches its peak on Wednesday. Diwali will conclude Friday. More than a billion people around the world observe the holiday. “Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, and people of Indian heritage and non-Indian heritage,” the Hindu American Foundation explains. “The holiday represents the same symbolic victory of 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 treat is gulab jamun. It's fried dough balls soaked with sweet rose syrup. A fireworks display is among the most common ways to celebrate Diwali. That has become a point of tension in India recently, though. Air pollution has become a major problem. It tends to be worse at the onset of fall. That's when farmers burn off the remnants of crops to prepare for winter. India’s Supreme Court tried to strike a balance between fun and safety in a recent ruling. It partially overturned its blanket ban on fireworks this year. So-called “green” fireworks will be legal. But they can only be used at certain hours and on certain days. "Green" fireworks are designed to be quieter, safer, and less polluting than normal fireworks. Even so, health experts warned of the risks. “Green crackers have not been studied well,” Dr. Manoj Kumar told The Indian Express. He works for the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. “And there’s no way for a user to know whether a cracker is truly ‘green.’” Reflect: How do you think people can honor important traditions while also caring for the health and safety of their communities? Photo of diyas and candles laid out for Diwali from Unsplash courtesy of Udayaditya Barua.
