Diwali, a religious hindu festival

             With different types of celebrations there come different names for these various celebrations. Some of the most common name's Diwali is known by are "Deepavali" and "Deepawali", it is also known as the "Festival of Lights". Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Dussera (Another Hindu Festival), on Amavasya, which is the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin in Oct/ Nov every year. Diwali also marks the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.
             Diwali is supposed to be celebrated over 5 days, but in some parts of India people like to celebrate for one day. The 5 days of diwali have different meanings:-.
             1st Day: The First day is called Dhanteras which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin, the word "Dhan" in Dhanteras means wealth. This day has great importance for the rich community. On this day lamps are kept burning throughout the night in respect to Yam "The God of Death".
             2nd Day: The Second day is called Chhoti Diwali which falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Ashwin. .
             3rd Day: The Third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of all the 5 days; it is the day of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to prayers to the Goddess Lakshmi.
             4th Day: The Fourth day is called Padwa that marks the coronation of the King. On this day people in groups offer prayers in the temples.
             5th Day: The Fifth and final day of Diwali Festival is known by the name of Bhaiya Dooj. This day is observed as a symbol of love between sisters and brothers. .
             I have mainly experienced one day celebrations and am going to describe these type of Diwali's. These are more common than the 5 day one's as for the simple fact that people find it difficult to celebrate the festival for 5 days. In this version of Diwali people start by cleaning out their homes before the day of diwali, every inch of the house is cleaned with utmost care. This is done because it is believed that during the household prayers on the day of diwali the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi visits that household.