Thousands of years back a king was to return to his kingdom after the grand victory over the most dreadful king of those times; the 'Lanka Naresh' - Raavan. The return of the king was a homecoming after an exile of fourteen long years. The king was loved by his public. He was humble. He was pure. He was a fearless warrior and an excellent administrator. He was considered to be the best among humans. He built up a society which was considered to be perfect. He was Ram - the lord of Ayodhya. Along with him was coming prosperity to the kingdom in the form of his consort, Sita who was believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi. But the Night of their return was dark as it was Amavasya when there is no moon in the sky. So the people of Ayodhya lit earthen lamps all across the kingdom to welcome their lord with light all around. Thus came the tradition of Diwali which people celebrate with all enthusiasm and zeal to mark this auspicious day.

It is a festival that brings excitement in the dullest of the hearts. A festival that brings life to the dead souls. It brings love. It brings to light. This is the time stolen by busy fathers from their precious schedule to spend some with their families. A time to recognize friendship and relations. A time when the sky wonders at the enthralling sound of the crackers bursting all around in the sky. A time when colors of light, dipped in the beauties of excitement and joy is spread all over.

Different religions and different regions have different ways of celebrating this festival. The preparation for the celebration starts days before the festival. The houses and workplaces are cleaned and whitewashed as people believe that Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity and wealth will be arriving at the Diwali night. Shopping is done for firecrackers, clothes, lightings, utensils, shoes and what not? Two days before the Diwali night people observe Dhanteras. Many households save this day for making important purchases like cars, refrigerators or other items of their use. Dhanteras is followed by Narak Chaturdashi. It is believed that Krishna had killed the demon Narakasur on this day.

READ MORE: What is  Dhanteras

The third day is the main festival day. In the evening houses and work, places are decorated with different kinds of light. Traditional 'diyas' are lit at the doors to welcome the Gods. Even more alluring is the light that can be seen in the eyes and faces of all. The mesmerizing smell of love and bonding floats in the air. Relatives and friends meet, share gossips and chattings and burst crackers. In the night people conduct rituals for worshipping Lakshmi along with Saraswati and Ganesh.

The third day is the main festival day. In the evening houses and work, places are decorated with different kinds of light. Traditional 'diyas' are lit at the doors to welcome the Gods. Even more alluring is the light that can be seen in the eyes and faces of all. The mesmerizing smell of love and bonding floats in the air. Relatives and friends meet, share gossips and chattings and burst crackers. In the night people conduct rituals for worshipping Lakshmi along with Saraswati and Ganesh.

The day after the Diwali night is celebrated in few regions of the country as 'Balipatiprada' to recognize the husband-wife relationship. The husbands and wives give gifts to their better halves to signify their love towards their life partners. The next day is the last day of the five days festival which is celebrated as 'Bhai duj'. It signifies the brother-sister relationship. The sisters prepare varieties of dishes for their brothers which is followed by the exchange of gifts between them.

Be it any part of the country, any religion or any age, Diwali remains to be a festival of bonding, love, excitement, fun, energy, light and life. It shows the victory of light over darkness, life over hopelessness and truth over evil.