5 things to know about Diwali, the festival of lights

If you don't know, Diwali was the day when Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya to his family after defeating King Ravana and winning back his beloved wife, Seeta Maa. Diwali also has other stories to be taken into consideration from different religions such as Guru Gobind Ji's escape from Mughal Ruler Jahangir's captivity, 24 Tirthankars to be attaining 'Nirvana' of Mahavira and Goddess Laxmi to roam around the world to bless people with wealth and goodness.

Before the 1900s, only Royals could buy the expensive firecrackers, but now it has become a universal ritual during Diwali to burst crackers. Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, was known as the town of firecrackers because of the immense supply of crackers across the world, precisely 90 per cent of it.

Two days before this big celebration, Hindus across the world celebrate their day of gold. On Dhanteras, they buy gold in a huge amount as an inheritance. And not only gold, but new items to decorate their homes, which includes Deepak, fairy lights, and most importantly, they clean their houses and decorate the entrances with beautiful colourful rangolis.

To some, it is the day to worship the Goddess of prosperity and power, but it is also considered to be India's most fun festival. It is also believed that the Indian families unite on this day and spend quality time with their relatives, dining on some homemade mouth-watering sweets and snacks.

Diwali is the celebration of all - Indians or non- Indians, in India or outside India. Diwali is not only an official holiday in India but also in Fiji, Guyana, Pakistan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. Outside of India, The city of Leicester in the UK is considered the World's largest Diwali for some years.