In the present scenario with Indians being established in various places around the world and the tradition of India being widely popular, more and more people have started to enjoy and celebrate Indian festivals with great vigour.
Not only the Indians settled abroad, but, even the natives of different origin have developed a respect for the sanctity of Indian culture, rituals and traditions. Diwali celebrations across different countries are:
Today Indians number around one and a half Million in UK, making them the single largest ethnic minority in Britain.
Although every Indian settled abroad misses his homeland, yet, people try to feel at home and in connect with the tradition and culture of India by celebrating Festivals with the same enthusiasm and excitement as any other Indian would do.
They visit temples, clean and decorate their houses, make sweets at home, buy new clothes, and offer prayers and Prasad to the lord. The lamps and Diyas lighted produce a very home-like atmosphere for them
Guyana is located in the north Eastern coast of South America. The population of Hindus amount to about 33 % of the total population.
The festival of Diwali is very important in Guyana as it is observed as the National holiday of Guyana.
Although most of the rituals observed in Guyana is similar to that in India, but they hold specific significance for the people out there.
For Example, the tradition of exchanging sweets indicate the importance of sharing and that of greetings show the necessity to establish goodwill among each other.
They pay special importance to wearing of new clothes on Diwali as it indicates that healty minds reside in healthy bodies.
Diwali is termed as Tihar in Nepal, which is a multi-cultured and multi-lingual country. Nepal is a land-locked country, in the foothills of Himalyas.
Most of the traditions observed here are similar to that in India.In Nepal, there is a different ritual associated with each of the five days of Diwali celebration. On the first day, they worship cows and feed them with rice.
The second day is dedicated to dogs and special food materials are prepared for them. Third day is meant for lighting of lamps and burning of crackers. The fourth day is dedicated to Yama, to whom prayers are offered for long life.The final fifth day is Bhaiya Dooj and is dedicated to brothers.
Deepavali festival Video