Festivals galore! scenes from Delhi....

October ushers in the season of festivals in India.....starting with Dussehra (here you see scenes from Durga puja celebrations by Bengalis), Divali or the festival of lights, Guru parab for Sikhs and ending with Christmas.




The image of the Mother Goddess Durga, is shown riding on a tiger while slaying the demon; she is surrounded by her four children. This is a community festival, so people gather to pray, while traditional drummers play (and dance to the rhythm) and finally, free lunch (called bhog, after it is offered to the deity) is served to all, irrespective of one's class or belief.

The festival of Lights!

Here are some glimpses (albeit limited, as I was deterred by the firecrackers!) of Divali celebrations in Bangalore.






A diya is the traditional earthen lamp, "Divali" means "a row of lights"--these could be candles, or even electric lights.











Our neighbors made "Rangoli" patterns on the floor and decorated their doorway.














Some buildings were decorated with strings of lights.