So what is Diwali all about?

Diwali, otherwise known as the ‘Festival of Lights’, is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year (think like Christmas or Eid al Adha) and is celebrated in many countries all over the world. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that are lit outside homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. It originated as a Harvest Festival and would mark the end of the last harvest before winter when people would take stock of their year and pray for success in the coming months. Traditionally people would seek the blessing of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and the lights would act as a welcome to her and her divine grace. In Indian, Diwali is a national festival and is known to unite those of many faiths under a common thread, the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness, hope over despair. Its celebration often includes millions of lights shining in doors and windows, on roofs and house tops as well as fireworks, clay lamps, bonfires. There are also family gatherings in which people share sweets and worship Lakshmi.

Aren’t there 5 days of Diwali?

Yes there are. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a 5 day period, each with their own elements, but the main festival night coincides with the darkest, new moon light of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika in the Bikram Sambat calendar. Here is what makes each of the 5 nights stand out:

• On the first day of Diwali, people consider it auspicious to spring clean the home and shop for gold or kitchen utensils
• On the second day, people decorate their homes with clay lamps and create design patterns called rangoli on the floor using colored powders or sand
• The third day is the main day of the festival when families gather together for Lakshmi puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi followed by mouth-watering feasts and firework festivities
• The fourth day is the first day of the new year when friends and relatives visit with gifts and best wishes for the season
• On the last day of Diwali, brothers visit their married sisters who welcome them with love and a lavish meal

We could all do with finding our inner light right?

Yes, we could. No matter your religion, culture or beliefs it is vitally important for us all to find faith in ourselves and in our abilities to overcome adversity, be useful members of society and to be kind. As individuals we are all unique and finding out what element burns the brightest inside ourselves can help us not only to be better human beings, but to find our place in the world. If you are struggling to see your future direction or feeling overwhelmed by, what feels like, endless darkness, there are a few things that you can do to help you find your inner light.

The Good Circle: Draw a big circle on a piece of paper and inside write down everything that is stressing you out, things you don’t like about yourself and your life. This will probably take you a matter of minutes, especially if you are feeling down. Next take another bit of paper, draw another big circle and inside write all the things that you are grateful for, all the positive things in your life and all of your positive qualities. As we are naturally inclined not to see the best in ourselves, this might take A LOT longer, but stick with it and keep going – no matter how long it takes you will fill up that circle. Put that second circle in a place you can see it every day so that it inspires you and gradually as you work to grow as a person, you will be able to add more and more things to it! If you can’t bring yourself to destroy the bad circle, put it in a drawer and refer to it whenever you have an opportunity to cross something on it out. Trust us, you will find yourself doing so very quickly.

The pen is mightier than the sword: Writing can be a very valuable tool in making sense of our lives, taking stock and even helping combat lurking mental health issues. The good news, you don’t have to be a “writer” to do it. Whatever you choice to write doesn’t necessarily have to be seen by anyone else and doesn’t need to be meaningfully profound, it just has to help you. Whether you start writing poems or stories, letters to someone or no one, a blog or a diary it doesn’t matter, even stream of consciousness scribbling will help you organize your thoughts and get a new perspective on your life. Who knows, maybe you will discover things about yourself you never knew!

Find your zen: Everyone is different, so that means that we all have different ways that work to relax us. Just like diets really need to be chosen based on suitability for the body type, so too do moments of calm. Meditation is a great tool for cleansing the mind and you shouldn’t be put off by any preconceptions. There are loads of great new apps that offer 10 minutes a day meditation sessions which can have a transforming effect on your mind, your health and your productivity. You can also try yoga, a walk on the beach, painting (check out the jamjar in Al Quoz), people-watching with a coffee (JBR The Walk is great for this) or even head out for a serene morning of fishing on the lapping waves (one of our team members SWEARS by this!). Have fun experimenting and find the one that works for you and then find a way to make sure it becomes part of your routine.

Fresh air, fresh mind: Get outside! Now that winter is nearly upon us there is no excuse – the fresh air and vitamin D are so good for your physical and mental well-being! Sneaking off to the beach for an hour on your lunch break is one of the most restorative habits we discovered! Meet friends for a picnic on the weekend, take up golf, go on a camping trip – we promise it will be worth it (Don’t forget the sunscreen!)

Ask not what your country can do for you….: Yep, you guessed it, help people. In a book on understanding happiness by a Professor from the University of Pennsylvania it was discovered that “doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested.” Even if you haven’t quite worked out your role in life, spending time finding ways to help others will not only be good for them, but it can help you work out what is truly important to you.

Last but not least: Don’t forget the other things that can help bring out the best version of you: get lots of sleep, try to say yes to as much as possible, spend more time with friends and loved ones, try to find one thing each day to be thankful for and above all SMILE (even if you don’t want to, it will start a chain reaction in your brain!)

A few years ago President Barack Obama confessed that he had 2 wishes for his daughters, that they be useful and that they be kind. We couldn’t agree more! So find a way to be useful and try to always be kind and you will have definitely demonstrated an inner light!