Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is the only nation state of the Commonwealth of Nations on the mainland of South America. Interestingly the country's aborigines consist of Indians and today Hindus of Indian origin accounts for 33% of the total population.
Hence almost all the Indian festivals are celebrated with great fanfare and gusto in the country. But of all the festivals, Diwali is the most popular and infact the day has been declared as a national holiday in the official calendar of Guyana.
Like in India, the Diwali festival in Guyana is celebrated as the festival of lights, which represents victory of good over evil. Even a few days before Diwali, Indians in Guyana clean their houses and go for shopping trips for the great day.
The Diwali day is spent with visiting relatives and friends and exchanging Diwali gifts and Diwali sweets. The distribution and sharing of Diwali Mithais has special significance for the people of Guyana as this denotes the spirit of social bonding in society. Among the most popular homemade and readymade sweets distributed during Diwali in Guyana are pedas, barfis, and kheer. Diwali greetings also are exchanged specially among kids and professional acquaintances.
Indians in Guyana believe that Diwali also brings in new beginning with new hopes, and aspirations for the rest of the year. Hence, to celebrate the festival, they wear brand new colorful apparels and also buy home decor items for adorning their house. The tradition of wearing new clothes for the people of Guyana has significance as they believe that it is the symbol of healthy souls in healthy bodies.
Diwali is dedicated to Lakshmi- the goddess of wealth in the country. And hence people make colorful rangolis and light traditional diyas to welcome the deity to their individual houses and other establishments. It is to be mentioned here that the Diwali night is the darkest night of the year and hence traditional and modern lights illuminate to welcome the revered deity.
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