Diwali festivals light up the world
<p dir="ltr">Celebrations of Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, has seen homes across India and elsewhere in the world light up with colour as many gathered to celebrate it for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p dir="ltr">For Hindus and Jains, Diwali symbolises the victory of light over darkness and commemorates the return of Lord Ram to the Ayodhya kingdom after 14 years of exile.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It’s a time of gift-giving and celebrating with friends and family at mandirs (Hindu temples) or at home, with spaces decorated with oil lamps, candles, fireworks and intricate rangoli designs in doorways.</p>
<p dir="ltr">While the festivities are due to end on Wednesday, the celebration reached its peak on Monday, the darkest day of the year.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On Sunday night, more than 1.5 million lamps were lit and kept burning for 45 minutes at Ram ki Paidi in the city of Ayodhya, beating last year’s World Guinness Record of 900,000 lamps staying lit.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ahead of Sunday’s event, the city was decked out in fairy lights and a laser and fireworks show illuminated the lanes and riverbanks.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The festivities weren’t just restricted to Ayodhya either, with celebrations occurring around the world.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Sikh community celebrated a different festival called Bandi Chhor Divas, or the Day of Liberation, which marked the day that the religion’s sixth teacher, Guru Hargobind, led 52 princes out of prison to Amritsar, a city in the north-western Indian state of Punjab.</p>
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<p dir="ltr">The two-day festival serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom and civil rights, with the second day coinciding with Diwali.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>
