The festival of Diwali has been celebrated from the ages as a festival of light and happiness. India is not the only country which celebrates Diwali; many countries join us to celebrate this festival.
In this article, we will give you the information about the countries that celebrate Diwali.
Nepal
The beautiful neighboring country of India has a significant place in the ancient story of Ramayana. According to the mythological story of Ramayana; Janakpur, situated in Nepal was the birthplace of Sita. So in Nepal also people have great belief in Ram and Sita.
In Nepal, Diwali is named as Tihar. The Tihar festivities continue in Nepal for five days. Nepali people worship Goddess Laxmi and God Ganesh on Diwali like us. They also worship animals during these five days festivities. On the very first day of Tihar, the cow is worshipped. Devotees fed cows and pray to her. On the second day, dogs are fed with delicious and special meals. The third day is the main Diwali Utsav. It is celebrated with lights. On this day lanterns and earthen lamps are lighted and Lord Ganesh and Laxmi are worshipped. It is believed on this day Ram came back to his city. The fourth day is for God of Death and the fifth day is celebrated as Bhai dooj or Bhai Tika.
The Diwali celebration in Nepal is very similar to India’s Diwali celebration.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, the other neighbor of India also has a relation with Ramayana. Sri Lanka is believed as the country of Ravana. So logically Diwali should not be celebrated in this country. But it is not true. Diwali is celebrated in Sri Lanka with the same feel as it is celebrated in India. In Sri Lanka also Diwali is a 5 days festival. In this country, Diwali is celebrated by the Tamilian Hindus. The celebration of Diwali in Sri Lanka includes everything from spiritual rituals, sweet distributions, the lighting of oil lamps to cracking the fireworks.
Malaysia
Diwali is celebrated in Malaysia with a different name of ‘Hari Diwali’. It’s a public holiday in Malaysia. The Hindu population in Malaysia is about 8% so this festival is not very popular but it is easily noticed here because of its lighting. Crackers are banned in Malaysia so people celebrate this festival with lights and by inviting their neighbors of different countries to their place. People take bath in oil here on the Diwali and offer their prayers to God.
Indonesia
The majority population of Indonesia is Muslim but still, you can feel the warmth of Diwali here. It’s island Bali is famous for Diwali celebration. Not only Indians, who live here but native citizen also celebrates Diwali in Indonesia.
Britain
Britain and India share a strong cultural bond. Not only Indians have the colonial hangover but Britain too has the feel of Indian culture. This feeling is very much visible here during Diwali. Many Indians live in Britain and they celebrate Diwali like they are in India. Diwali comes in the winter season of Britain but the enthusiasm of Diwali is high here even in the freezing temperature. The lighting and decoration of Diwali highlight the Indian’s houses. Not only Indians but native form Britain and people from other countries also join the celebration of Diwali. Many main streets and markets get decorated with the light on Diwali here.
Fiji
Fiji has a good population of Indians so Diwali is celebrated here with the same zeal as it is celebrated in India. Many Indians live in Fiji for many years and generations but they follow the same old Indian tradition to celebrate the Diwali. In Fiji, people purchase new clothes, clean their houses and decorate them on Diwali. Many schools, colleges also celebrate Diwali here in Fiji.
Guyana
The Republic of Guyana declared Diwali as a public holiday. Here Diwali is celebrated as per the Hindu calendar. The celebration of Diwali is started in Guyana in the early 1980’s by the Indian community. The main tradition of Diwali celebration here is sweet distribution.
Thailand
Diwali is celebrated here in Thailand as Loi Krathong which means, ‘to float a basket’. This is celebrated according to the Thai Calendar. On this day the night sky shines with the firecrackers and hot air balloons. Lamps made of banana leaves and candles are set afloat as the celebration of Thai Diwali.
Mauritius
Mauritius celebrates Diwali as India because its 50% population is Indian. Here people celebrate the Diwali for two reasons; one is Lord Ram’s arrival to Ayodhya and second is a victory of Krishna over the demon king Narakasura. People celebrate Diwali with firecrackers, making rangoli and lighting the earthen lamp.
The Bottom Line
Apart from these countries, Diwali is celebrated in all the countries where Indians live. Diwali is very famous in Australia, Canada, and the USA as well. To summarise this we can say that Diwali is a part of the soul of every Indian and where ever they go the zeal and enthusiasm of Diwali reaches automatically.
