ACROSS generations, the Festival of Lights remains a celebration of family, faith and togetherness even as the way it is celebrated changes with the times. The POST spoke to young and old about what Diwali means to them and their favourite part of the celebration.
Keara Maharaj, 9, of Pietermaritzburg:
Diwali means the Festival of Lights. It means light winning over darkness and good winning over evil. It is about lighting lamps, sharing sweetmeats, wearing our new traditional outfits and lighting fireworks. Diwali makes me feel happy. I love lighting fireworks with my dad and dressing up in my traditional outfit. I love wearing my traditional outfits.
Yashodhan Moodley, 15, of Phoenix:
To me, Diwali is a celebration of hope, happiness, family, and the victory of good over evil.
It reminds us of the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya and honours Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha, who represent prosperity, wisdom, and good fortune.
What I love most about Diwali is how it brings family and friends together through decorating our homes with lights and diyas, dressing up, sharing traditional food, and continuing our cultural traditions.
My favourite part is the fireworks, which light up the night sky with beautiful colours and excitement. For me, Diwali’s lights symbolise how even a small act of kindness can brighten someone’s life. Although fireworks last only a few seconds, the memories we create with loved ones last much longer. Diwali reminds me to spread kindness, positivity, and happiness throughout the year.
Demi Pillay, 20, of Phoenix:
Diwali - the smell of baked goods engulfing the whole house, that three-kind oil bath at the break of dawn, dressing up in those new outfits looking like a character straight out of a Bollywood movie - that's Diwali to me.
It's about spending time with those people who light up your life - in my case, my family - and creating the most unforgettable memories with them.
Diwali has always been a special holiday to me. It reminds me of my late grandfather who would always go above and beyond to make sure my siblings and I had the most stunning outfits. Now when I put my outfit on, I smile in the mirror and remember him and his silent sacrifices.
My favourite part of Diwali is without a doubt the hours of tedious work that goes into baking that entire week. Standing in our kitchen baking away with my mummy and my sister has to be my favourite thing to do other than obviously dressing up in my glamorous outfits and doing my makeup that my sister ultimately will have to fix because I didn't do a good job. Seeing everyone at home dressed up and making the most of our special day – that’s my favourite part of Diwali.
Virosha Singh-Govender, 48, of Pietermaritzburg:
As a child growing up in the '80s, Diwali meant family, home-baked goodies and beautiful diyas. As an adult, however, Diwali holds a much deeper and more profound meaning for me.
Diwali is a reminder that, irrespective of how difficult life gets, faith will carry you through. Darkness and inequality do not last forever; truth and justice will always triumph.
For me, Diwali is a celebration of my faith. It is a reminder of Bhagawan's promise that no prayer is ever in vain. Of course, Diwali still means family and community. It's also an excuse to indulge in some of my favourites, especially ladoo and channa magaj. And, naturally, my home must be beautifully adorned with diyas.
My favourite parts have to be rereading the Ramayana in the lead-up to Diwali and watching a children's version of the Ramayana with my daughter and husband.
Preparing mithai is another highlight. It's usually something my daughter chooses, but the preparation is a family affair, which makes it all the more special. Before we indulge in any of the sweet treats, we have our Diwali hawan (prayer).
We gather as a family, my husband, daughter, myself and even our fur baby, to give thanks to Bhagawan Shri Rama. I end Diwali night by making Diwali kajal. It's a deeply special tradition passed down to me by my mum and Nani, and one I intend passing to my daughter.
Cliff Moodley, 62, of Ballito:
Diwali holds special memories for me that still mean so much to me. When I was young, being the youngest of the children, I would generally get hand-me-downs, even when it came to school clothes.
But Diwali was different. It was a special time when we would have our traditional three-oil bath, get dressed up and I would get a new shirt. Even if it was just a shirt and not a pair of shorts, having something new made me feel good.
Of course, we were allowed to play outside that day, but we had to be careful not to dirty our new shirts or clothes. We had to look our best until the evening. And then there were the meals. The food was always something special. We would wait for the time to be served, sit together and enjoy every bit of it.
My favourite part of Diwali was when afternoon turned to dusk. We would be told to change out of our new clothes so they wouldn’t get burnt, because we had lots of fireworks. The clay lamps would be lit around the house, at the entrance, on the windowsills and along the verandas, including on the wooden balustrades.
Everything was bright and beautiful. It was amazing. We also got to sleep late because we had fireworks to set off. The next morning was always a surprise because we would go looking for the fireworks that hadn’t gone off. We would break them open and burn what was left. We called it sur-sur-ban.
Shanthee Jangbahadoor, 90, of Kharwastan:
At my age of 90, I feel blessed and so grateful to be able to light my lamp and pray to Lakshmi. It reminds me of light over darkness and all we have overcome during our lifetimes.
We worked hard in our days and seeing this legacy of Diwali traditions and prayers carry on to the younger generation, makes me most happy. It reminds me of our olden days and remembering our loved ones who lit this lamp before us and created beautiful Diwali memories as the years passed.
I love lighting diyas around our home, spending the day with my family and helping to prepare the sweetmeats. I love keeping busy and I help to make parcels for our loved ones. I still enjoy reading every year at my age. I always look forward to the POST newspaper, to read all the Diwali stories and see the beautiful pictures.