India is no more the only country around the world, where Diwali is celebrated. There is a list of major countries which celebrate Diwali with the same energy, joy and dedication, as it is being celebrated in India.
Diwali is one of the biggest Indian festivals and is widely celebrated in the country. Primarily, the festival is a part of Hindu religion customary, but the people of the secular nation do not hold the differences and indulge in the festival season, altogether. May it be Jains, Sikhs, Christians or Muslims; everyone has their way of celebrating ‘Diwali- the Festival of Lights’.
Indians are leaving their signatures on the globe and marking their presence around the world. We have left no corners untouched and no stones unturned in these race globalization and internationalization. With the advent of Indians moving across the world, and countries interconnecting over the business, political & diplomatic terms with each other, festivals of a particular country or region are reverberating to become a global celebration. And Diwali is no exception to the same.
Today, we are here to tell you about some of the countries of the world, where Diwali is celebrated with the same joy and energy like that in India, like any other festival of the respective nation. The festival is celebrated mainly in Guyana, Fiji, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, Myanmar, Singapore, Srilanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Britain, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Africa, and Australia among the Hindus world over. These are some of the major nations which celebrate Diwali most joyously:
1. Britain:
Britain’s 2nd largest ethnic minority are the Indians. The country witnesses a national-level celebration of the festival because the Indian there do not want to miss the feeling of their festive season.
Eating special sweets, offering prayers at temples, burning of incense sticks, brightening up home with decorative lights. It is as good as Britain turned India for the week. It is celebrated at around the same time when Diwali falls in India, which is in October-last or early November.
2. Guyana :
Formerly known as British Guiana, Guyanais located on the northeast coast of South America. Out of the population of about 7,70,000, 33% are Hindus and thus the Co-operative Republic of Guyana celebrates the festival as per Hindu Solar calendar and declares a national holiday.
Celebration of the festival includes, distribution of sweets, illuminating the inside and outside of the house, exchange of greetings, cleaning of houses and wearing of new clothes.
3. Indonesia:
The name of the country Indonesia is Portmanteau of two Greek words “Indos” meaning Indian and “Nesos” meaning islands. While the majority of the Indonesian population follows Islam, Hindus constituent about only 2% of the island country’s total population.
Yet, the country is famous around the world for celebrating the festival of Diwali. Not only the majority of the population comes from India but the country’s 2nd most spoken language is Hindi.
4. Malaysia:
Malaysia is one of the biggest travel destinations around the world and is home to 20 million people. Out of these, 8% of the total population follows Hinduism. The country is a beautiful combination of harmonious multi-ethnic & cultural mix.
The country celebrates Diwali as Hari Diwali during 7th month of the Hindu solar calendar. Usual practices follow during the weekly festival including, lighting up of houses, sweet preparations, family and friendly gatherings and other things follow.
5. Mauritius:
A beautiful island country situated east of Madagascar amidst the Indian Ocean has a total population of 1.3 million people of which 63% population comes from India. Of these Indo-Mauritian people, 80% belong to the Hindu Community, which makes it another Hindu major community.
The best part about Mauritius is that Diwali celebration here is an age-old tradition as people here believe that Diwali has been celebrated even long before the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile and his coronation as the king. The festival is celebrated in a similar manner like that in India and is one of the biggest celebrations of the country.
6. Nepal:
Nepal, one of the most peaceful and green countries in the world, is also a best-friendly nation India ever had. The country is situated in the lap of Himalaya’s mountain range and houses a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society is the only Hindu Kingdom of the world.
In Nepal, Diwali is celebrated by the name ‘Tihar’ and the festivals marks as a celebration to honour the goddess of wealth Lakshmi and god of prosperity Ganesh. Diwali in Nepal is celebrated on the same day as in India.
7. South Africa:
The southern tip of the Africa continent, the country of South Africa encompasses a mix of a variety of cultures and has around 2% of the total population coming from Asian lands. Most of these Asians are from India. These are the descendants of indentured labourers who were brought to the country by the British in the 19th century to work in Sugar Plantations and mines.
Interestingly, the Indian South Africans community is the largest group of Indian descent in the world who are born outside India. Due to a majority of the Hindu population, the country celebrates many Hindu festivals more or less same to that in India.
Apart from these 7 nations, Fiji, Myanmar, Singapore, Srilanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Thailand & Australia are some other nations where Indians and majorly Hindus reside in a large number. These nations celebrate the festival of lights with immense pleasure & respect. It makes us Indian proud that we have marked a positive impression around the world with our culture and heritage, such that the global populations accept our traditions and adopt them as well.
A very Happy Diwali to everyone from Shiksha News
