Importance of Gifts in Diwali

sanjayroy12 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:51:57 -0700

No words can adequately do justice to your thoughts and feelings unless you wrap them in some unexceptionable gifts. Exchanging gifts on auspicious occasion is the grand gesture of wishing good luck and well being. Sending gifts become token of gratitude, an authentic symbol that coveys true feelings of the heart. It is the avenue that connect you to your dear ones when you are separated by the material barriers of time and place.Diwali or Deepavali is also known as the Festival of Lights. "Deepa" means light and "Avali" means a row, thus, the word Deepavali means row of lights. Diwali is one of the most important festivals in India having numerous mythological significance. The most famous legend behind the celebrations of Diwali centers around the Prince of Ayodhya, Lord Ram. According to the legend, Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was forcibly taken away by the notorious demon Ravana to his kingdom in Lanka, when they were in a fourteen years of exile. Lord Ram attacked Lanka, defeated Ravana and freed his wife Sita. It was not a moon lit night (Amavasyaa) and people in Ayodhya welcomed their hero by illuminating the whole kingdom by lighting earthen diyas and candles. Since then, Diwali is considered as the festival of the victory of the good over the evil.
Diwali is a five day celebration marked with the worship of different Deities. Each day has its own religious and historical significance. The first day of this festival is known as 'Dhan Trayodashi' or 'Dhanteras'. Dhanteras is also known as “yamadeepan”. There are two different legends associated with the celebration of this festival. According to one legend, during the churlin of ocean (Sagar Manthan) by the Gods and the demons, Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Vishnu, came out of the ocean with a jar of elixir or "Amrita". Another legend revolves around the story of King Hima’s sixteen year old son, who was destined to die of snake bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular day, his wife kept him awake, laid out all her ornaments and gold and silver coins at the entrance of her bedroom. She lightened the room with lamps, sang the whole night and narrated stories to keep his husband awake. When Lord Yama or the God of Death arrived in the guise of a snake, he was awestruck by the dazzle of the coins and the lights. He sat on the heap of coin and listened to the songs and left peacefully the next morning. Thus, the young wife was successful in saving the life of his husband. Since that day, on the day of Dhanteras, the lamps are kept burning the whole night to keep away evil spirit from the homes. Dhanteras also marks the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi, which is celebrated by drawing small footprints of the deity, with rice flour and vermilion powder.
The second day of Diwali is 'Narak Chaturdashi', which is popularly called 'Chhoti Diwali'. This festival is observed to commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon king, Narkasura. Also, on this day Hanumanji reached Ayodhya to deliver the message of Lord Rama’s return. This day is also celebrated as the birthday of Hanumanji or Hanuman Jayanti.
The third day of Diwali is also called 'Badi Diwali'. People perform Goddess Lakshmi (Lakshmi Pujan) on this day and offer prayers to her to bless them with wealth and prosperity. After the ceremonial worship is finished devotees offer homemade sweets to the goddess as "Naivedya" and distributed as "Prasad". Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged on this day. Men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives. In villages, on this day, cattle are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south India, cows are offered special reverence as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and are adorned and worshipped on this day.
The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Padwa and Govardhan Pooja. The festival of Padwa is celebrated in order in honor of the coronation of king Vikramaditya, while the festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated for commemorating the incident of lifting of Mount Govardhan by Lord Krishna. Both these festivals are celebrated with extreme devotion in different parts of the country.
The fifth day is Bhai Dooj. This occasion marks the time to honor the brother-sister relationship. Sisters apply a holy mark (tilak) on their brothers' forehead. Brothers take pledge of their sisters' safety and give them some gift or present.
Gifts play a vital role in celebration of Diwali as this festival is bound by traditions and the essential rituals. The art of sending gifts in Diwali is the sign of conveying the feeling of love and brotherhood in the society. Your prayers to the Almighty wishing prosperity and good health of the loved ones is best highlighted when you send gifts to them. The practice of exchanging gifts on Diwali is not a practice of recent times. In the past, people used to exchange homemade sweets, farm produce or decoratives prepared at home. The gifts were simple yet were attached with considerable cultural value. The tradition of exchanging Diwali Gifts today, has grown into new heights. Great significance is laid on gift itself yet the feelings behind gifts acquire the same importance. Essentially, the importance of sending Diwali gifts to India means conveying warm wishes and regards to dear ones. When separated by the cross country borders on the occasion of Diwali, it is gifts that diminish the pain of physical absence from the dear ones. Gifts carry the messages of love and has the magical power to make your presence felt even when you are miles away from India. So, send some special gifts to India to the very special person in your life!
With advent of electronic gadgets, especially internet, gifts and the medium of sending gifts have drastically undergone a huge change. Gifts are now available in a plenty of varieties, they come in multiple designs. These gifts are not only visually attractive but also feature utilitarian attributes. The price range of the gifts differ according to the variety and hence will suit the budget of all. For the people residing abroad, it is no more a big deal of sending a gift to India on any occasion. Thanks to internet, which made it possible to send online gifts. There are various websites that offers the service of sending online gifts to different parts of India. DiwaligiftstoIndia.in is one of such multiple online gifting websites that offers the NRIs to choose from a plethora of Diwali gift items and send them to the loved ones in India. This portal essentially tries to connect the global NRI's with their Indian roots, through its wide range of gift items, on the eve of the holy occasion of Diwali. You can choose from numerous gift items that you can send as Diwali gifts to India.
Send gifts to India on Diwali and let the divine blessings be showered on your family and relatives. Beautiful Diyas adorned with holy Swastik and Om designs will light up the Diwali eve. The variety of Diyas add to the glow of the Diwali eve. The art of making rangoli on Diwali is the gesture of welcoming wealth and prosperity. You can send rangolis, that will decorate the floors and mosaics of the houses of your dear ones.
Send Gifts to India on Diwali and make your presence felt from miles away. A five day celebration, following many rituals and customs demands something on which all the puja items can be kept. DiwaligiftstoIndia.in brings you exclusive collection of Diwali Puja Thali. These Puja Thalis feature idols of Laxmi-Ganesha, coupled with set of earthen Diyas. Some Puja Thalis contain Decorated Bell, Mangal Kalash, Roli Tikka, along with German Silver Ganesh Coin Dabbi and one Silver Plated Coin. On the holy and sacred occasion of Diwali or Laxmi Pujan, these Puja Thalis become must!
DiwaligiftstoIndia.in offers you to choose from the variety of candles that are finely adorned with beautiful designs and crafted perfectly in unique shape. The candles are colorful that will illuminate the whole ambiance with its charm. Some variety of candles are available in German Silver Thali, while some are nicely placed in a basket. Choose Chocolate Ball Candle or Rose candle, Heart shaped or Round shaped candles and mesmerize the loved ones with their unique charm.
DiwaligiftstoIndia.in offers you to send elegant collection of wall hangings and door hangings. These door hangings are unique in their way as they differ from each other in their own style and elegance. Crafted out of terracotta clay or designed with small beads, these door hangings are sure to bring all the luck to your near ones, on the occasion of Diwali. The spiritual wall hangings must be sent to diminish any evil's cast and bring peace and serenity in the house. DiwaligiftstoIndia.in offers a wide collection of spiritual wall hangings that will pave the way of good luck and best fortune for your dear ones.
Sending sweets and dry fruit hampers will make a special gift on Diwali. Bring the special smile on the faces of your dear ones with assortment of dry fruits and delicious sweets, brought to you by DiwaligiftstoIndia.in. Let them cherish the taste of almond and figs and treat them with the taste of Kaju Pesta Mix Sweets or mouth watering taste of Pera.
Diwali celebration remains incomplete without Fire crackers. Send firecrackers to India and let the loved ones express the endless joy of life. DiwaligiftstoIndia.in offers you to choose assortment of fire crackers which contains Color Sparklers, Plain Sparklers, small and big Flower Pots, Color Rockets, Color Fire Pencils, Chakkars etc.
Send Gifts to India on Diwali for the loved ones and let your gift make this Diwali very special for them. Gifts are the chords that keep two hearts tied to one another. Send Diwali gifts to India and wish them all the good fortune and prosperity in days to come. A Diwali gift to India from abroad have thousand of emotional relevance attached to it. DiwaligiftstoIndia.in is an exclusive online website which offers you to choose the gift items that are apt to be sent to India, on the occasion of Diwali. Send Diwali gifts to India through DiwaligiftstoIndia.in and feel the difference.We, at DiwaligiftstoIndia.in ensure promptness in service. Customer satisfaction is our prime look out and we do not just only uphold the material value of the gift but deliver your emotions and feelings of the heart wrapped with it!

This week's Guilty Pleasure - Velvet Underground, The Virgins, Edwyn Collins, Nirvana, Voxtrot, U2, Thirteen Senses, and more

Lorelei Spirit — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:52:29 -0700

It's another great playlist brought to you by DJ Elhaam, via East Village Radio!
If you'd like to listen Click here, and when you get the the Guilty Pleasure page, click on "Listen to most recent show here"

This is one to bookmark, because it absolutely rocks from beginning to end. I'm not even going to list the tracks I am most excited abotu this time, because it's really as simple as looking at the complete playlist below. Awesomness defined.

Enjoy!

Velvet Underground - Stephanie Says
The Cloud Room - 24 Hr Heartbreak
The Virgins - Radio Christiane
Neutral Milk Hotel - Song Against Sex
Weezer - Tired Of Sex
Pulp - This Is Hardcore
Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
Squeeze - Cool For Cats
Rancid - Ruby Soho
Hole - Violet
Nirvana - Dumb
Voxtrot - Firecracker
Icicle Works - Whisper to a Scream
Wild Swans - Bible Dreams
U2 - Gloria
Pratique - Death for Blushing Rogue
Big Country - Fields of Fire
The Upper Room - All Over This Town
The Chameleons - Up the Down Escalator
Thirteen Senses - Do No Wrong
Mew - The Zookeeper's Boy
Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels To Be Something On
Muse - Microcuts
Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing
Blind Melon - No Rain
Pixies - Where Is My Mind
Smashing Pumpkins - Twilight to Starlight
Maximilian Hecker - Flower Four
Grandaddy - Stray Dog & Chocolate Shake
Kate Nash - Foundations
Self - So Low
Billy Bragg - A New England

YumSugar

Importance of Gifts in Diwali

This week's Guilty Pleasure - Velvet Underground, The Virgins, Edwyn Collins, Nirvana, Voxtrot, U2, Thirteen Senses, and more