Diwali is the time of year when colors are bright, fireworks are loud, and the celebrations are remembered! It is a time of the year when family and friends, both old and new, get together. It's time to forget the bad times, concentrate on making new bonds, having a good time, and creating new special memories together. Happiness, joy, health, and ultimately good overcoming evil are embraced.
Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world - especially in the US and Canada which hosts the largest Diwali event outside India - will be celebrating the festival of lights. Homes are decorated, sweets and presents are given, thousands of lights are lit and fireworks are let off to celebrate the renewal of life and the triumph of good over evil and to signify self-enlightenment.
In Hindu tradition, Diwali - which means a row or collection of lamps - marks the victory of Lord Ram over demon-king Ravan, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. It celebrates Ram's return to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman after 14 years in exile. Diwali is also dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. People believe that she visits clean and well-lit homes on this night, bringing good fortune and blessings.
A few days before Diwali, houses, buildings, shops, and temples are thoroughly cleaned, white-washed, and decorated with pictures, toys, and flowers. On the Diwali day, people don new clothes and move about in a holiday mood. In the evening, every household performs prayer and puja, mostly of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, and Lord Ganesha, the deity of happy and hassle-free beginnings. The puja is followed by lightning of earthen lamps and fireworks. Nowadays, earthen lamps are generally replaced by electric lights. People exchange greetings and gifts or sweets on this day.
Diwali comes about twenty days after Dussehra and shows the advent of winter. It is an important and one of the most sacred festivals celebrated across the world by ethnic Indians. Besides India, the Diwali festival is widely observed in Canada, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. Nepal, Malaysia, the USA, the UK, Australia, and other countries with a significant presence of people of Indian origin.
Here are some Diwali postage stamps around the world...
This is the Indian version of the 2017 stamp.
The New Zealand post office issued this stamp in 2021.
The US Postal Service commemorated the joyous festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp in 2016.
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Diwali stamps issued by Singapore in 1971, 2004, and 2010.
This was issued by Australia in 2018
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(Pradip Jain is a well known philatelist from India whose involvement in Indian and global philately stretches over many years. He won several Gold Medals in International Philately and has served three terms as a Governing Council member of the Philatelic Congress of India. He can be contacted at [email protected])
