By The Associated Press
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, an Indian potter paints earthen lamps ahead of Diwali, or the Hindu festival of lights, in Amritsar, India. The lamps, called diyas, are among the most popular Diwali decorations. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 file photo, an Indian potter makes earthen lamps for the upcoming Diwali festival in Allahabad, India. Hindus light lamps, wear new clothes, exchange sweets and gifts and pray to goddess Lakshmi during the festival of lights, which will be celebrated on Nov. 3. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 file photo, Indians shop for lanterns at a roadside stall ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Mumbai, India. Diwali is a shortened form of the word Deepavali, meaning “a row of lamps.” (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
Malaysia Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 file photo, an artist applies henna on the foot of a Malaysian ethnic Indian woman for the upcoming Diwali, or the Hindu festival of lights in Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During Diwali, women decorate their hands with henna designs and wear colorful new clothes and jewelry. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 file photo, Indian potters make earthen lamps for the upcoming Diwali festival in Allahabad, India. People place the lamps in windows and use them to create illuminated designs on the floor. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 file photo, an Indian man carries freshly made earthen lamps to dry at a potter’s workshop at the Dharavi slum area ahead of the Diwali festival in Mumbai, India. The lamps are becoming more popular amid concerns about pollution from firecrackers. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013 file photo, an Indian woman carries freshly made earthen lamps to dry at a potter’s workshop at the Dharavi slum area ahead of the Diwali festival in Mumbai, India. Vendors ramp up production of the small lamps ahead of diwali. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, Indians shop for firecrackers and decorative items ahead of Diwali, or the Hindu festival of lights, in New Delhi, India. There has been a push to cut down on the number of firecrackers this year, mindful of the pollution and dangers. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, an Indian potter, seen reflected on a mirror makes earthen lamps ahead of Diwali or the festival of lights in Allahabad, India. Prices for the lamps range from several rupees to hundreds. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 file photo, a horse walks by Indian street vendors carrying artificial garlands for sale ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Allahabad, India. Garlands are some of the most popular Diwali decorations in India. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
India Hindu Festival
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013 file photo, an Indian potter makes earthen lamps ahead of Diwali or the festival of lights in Allahabad, India. People keep the lamps illuminated all night long to draw the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, into their homes. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)
India Diwali
FILE – In this Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 file photo, a man prepares candles at a workshop at the Blind School Relief Association in New Delhi, India. The candles will be sold during the school’s Diwali Mela, or Diwali fair, one of the most popular fairs held annually in the city. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)
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NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indians stocked up on firecrackers, handed out sweets and adorned their homes with glowing lanterns and sparklers ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on Sunday.
The most important festival of the year in India, Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil. The biggest — and loudest — celebrations come Sunday, when people set off a near-constant stream of firecrackers that light up the sky before leaving a dark, smoggy cloud that lingers for days.
This year, mindful of the pollution and the dangers of the deafening displays, authorities have made a push to cut down on the number of firecrackers, and some schools sent notices home urging parents not to buy any fireworks.
The country’s grim financial straits also may affect this year’s celebrations.
At a wholesale market in New Delhi, shopkeeper Mahesh Chand Sagar said the financial downturn is affecting sales.
“Fulfilling one’s basic needs has become a problem nowadays,” said Sagar, 40, who has been selling candles, garlands and other decorations for the past 10 years. “If people can’t afford basic necessities, how will they buy decorative items?”
Typically, people buy gold during Diwali, including jewelry, coins and small statues of the elephant-headed Ganesh. But the government has imposed a steep new tax on gold imports, making the already-high prices far out of reach for many Indians.
Still, it seems unlikely the concerns about pollution and finances will dampen enthusiasm for Diwali too much. In the run-up to the festival, people hand out sweets, give their homes a vigorous cleaning and offer prayers to Ganesh and to the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Shops have been packed with customers buying new clothes, gifts for friends and co-workers and brightly lit decorations for their homes. Potters ramp up production of popular earthen lamps, known as diyas.
On the night of Diwali, which is a shortened form of the word Deepavali, meaning ‘a row of lamps,’ families gather for the spectacular fireworks displays held all over the country.
Diwali also is celebrated by Hindus in other parts of the world, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Malaysia.
