Students at Lexington High School celebrate a diverse range of holidays. One that you might have heard about is called Diwali—or as my family calls it, Deepavali. Deepavali, the festival of lights, is celebrated in a variety of ways. 

India is a big country, and the cultural experiences from place to place can be vastly different. In the North, Deepavali is typically five days long and celebrates one of the most well-known Hindu stories, the return of Lord Rama and his wife Seetha to their kingdom after their 14-year exile. 

But I’ll mostly be talking about my experience coming from the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. In the South, the celebration stretches two days, paying tribute to Goddess Satyabhama and Lord Krishna’s defeat over the demon king Narakasuran. 

Preparations start a week in advance as my family gathers together to make a variety of special snacks and sweets no one is allowed to eat. These include Mysore pak, a square golden brown sweet that sends your mouth to heaven; Kaju Katli, diamond-shaped sweets lined with an edible silvery film; Pedha, soft white balls that are doughy but sweet; and Ribbon pakoda, made of besan and rice flour fried in oil, and my personal favorite. 

The night before Diwali, my family and I decorate the house with flowers and garlands. We create intricate patterns out of stained rice flour on the floor known as rangoli, and place little lamps and candles all around the house. We also set out the new clothes and prepare all the fireworks we want to use.

Finally, I sit down for a few hours and let my mom or patti (grandmother) decorate my hand with simple but beautiful patterns of a thick liquid stain called Mehendi. 

On the day of festivities, I wake up before dawn, take an oil-based bath—known as Ganga Snanam—and shower. I go to the pooja room (a small altar) and say a small prayer with my family. Finally, I put on my clothes and indulge in the delicious food. Usually the meal is accompanied with a sticky herbal paste known as Deepavali Marundhu, meant to help with digesting all the delicious but unhealthy food.

I then go to the temple and visit family, before starting the biggest event of the night. As you might know, many  think Deepavali is the best holiday. For me, Deepavali is so special because after dark, we start lighting off a plethora of fireworks. From little hand-held sparklers to giant rockets that could rival those at NASA, we go crazy with the bright—and a little bit unsafe—fireworks and lights. 

Now, you might be wondering, wait, why is there nothing about the Hinduism stuff I learned about in 9th grade? What about dharma, the cycle of life and death in the universe, achieving moksha, and all of that other stuff? 

Well to that I’d say, in my family, Hinduism is taught through stories—known as Puranas. These sacred literatures teach morals and the steps to achieve enlightenment in a more comprehensible and relatable way. And when you’re a young adult, you’re not interested in the philosophical complexities of life and the universe more often discussed in the classroom.

 I remember being in history and looking at the whiteboard during our Hinduism unit and being like “Man, I thought I was gonna know all this stuff already, what the heck is an atman and where’s all the epic stories about slaying demon kings?”

 In school, we’re taught the rudimentary concepts of Hindu philosophy. In practice, I’ve grown up learning and celebrating the various Hindu festivals that incorporate these basics as a way of life. Both have taught me much about my culture.

 I hope that by shedding light on this beautiful holiday, you’ve come to understand Hinduism—and my culture—just a little bit more.