Delhi, capital of India is also the capital of festivals and the city goes gaga over all celebrations. Metropolitan culture of Delhi takes in all communities & religions, and every festival becomes a cultural confluence that displays tremendous spirit, enthusiasm and unity. Since Diwali is a national festival of India, Delhi flaunts its real character and people from every corner of the city join celebrations of firing crackers, giving gifts and greeting one another. As happens in other parts of the country, Diwali starts with spring-cleaning in every household in Delhi; people clean their houses from top to bottom, and redecorate & renovate with whitewashing. They also change interior decoration of their houses with embroidered decoratives that showcase Indian traditional art & craft. Shopping for new items begins a few days before Diwali and people love to replace some old or unused things with newly-shopped articles.
The five-day celebration begins with Dhanteras in Delhi. People love to shop jewellery in gold, silver and diamond; apart from this metal-shopping, business community worship the Goddess of Wealth – Lakshmi. Traditionally, Delhi folks purchase kitchen utensils on Dhanteras. After Dhanteras, it is Chhoti Diwali or Roop Chaturdashi; as the name suggests, Chhoti Diwali is a Diwali celebrated on small scale. Children fire crackers on this day and women design Rangoli in the doorway and courtyard of their houses. It is believed that designing Rangoli is a way to welcome New Year and guests.
The third day is Diwali or Lakshmi Pooja or Bandi Chhor Diwas; on this day, people worship Laxmi and then fire crackers in the evening, and the fiery activities go on until the dawn. The day after Diwali is Govardhan Pooja or Annakoot; people wish Happy New Year to all and also send Diwali gifts to Delhi for their friends & families. Unlike yester years, people prefer to send their Diwali gifts to Delhi through online shopping portals and these e-commerce websites ensure that the gifts are delivered in time. Last day of Diwali is Bhai Dooj – a day marks the holy bond between brothers and sisters.
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