Diwali appears to be every Indian's favorite holiday. It seems like Christmas, New Years and your birthday rolled into one. For the Hindus, Diwali celebrates the homecoming of King Rama after 14 years in exile. It is also celebrates the time when Krishna defeated a demon. Everyone here decorates their home with twinkle lights, small oil lamps, candles and a fresh coat of paint. Rishikesh is filled with women in their finest saris, sporting glittery new jewlery and carrying boxes of sweets for everyone they know.
We are still in Rishikesh, and we've been doing some serious relaxation in this beautiful town. We've done a bunch of different yoga classes (Mary's class at Open Space in Honolulu are still the best we've found however.) We are spending the rest of our days shopping, getting kick-ass massages and reading by the Ganges.
Neither of us has been brave enough to go for a swim in the Ganges yet.... The river is MUCH cleaner here than in Varanasi, but I'm still worried that "swimming in the Ganges" = "Bacterial Infection."
Here's a photo of the Ganges. Would you go for a dip?
Last night, for Diwali, everyone was lighting candles and setting bowls of flowers adrift on the river.
To join in the festivities we set off some fireworks on our balcony and Mara, Klara and I all got new henna on our hands.
P.S. Since Dan's run-in with the monkey, he hasn't been taking any chances. He's adopted Hannuman (the Hindu Monkey God) as his new best friend. In this photo we were pretending to be Hannuman....just thought you'd like to see a silly one. 
4 comments:
Deb...new Thanksgiving tradition..forget the hats you conned us into making and wearing...I think you can paint us all with hena.
Can't wait to see both of you...stay safe...Love you..Mom
Happy Diwali right back at you! Looks like fun. Henna looks great.Glad you are taking it easy before your return. We are still having a tough time with jetlag. Not sleeping at night & dosing during the day. The cold weather & gloomy skies make for good hibernation so be prepared. Soak up the sun while you can. My vote is NO dip in the ganges, but when is the last time anyone listened to me!(: No boxes have arrived.See you soon.
Love, the other Mom
Deb, that monkey face of your is real serious! I might dip my toe in the Ganges, but that's all I'd dip into it. I would then wash my toe with disinfectant. D
IXNE on the GANGES...the other sensible mom
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