9 Nov 2007, Amritapuri

Yesterday afternoon, it was Ice Cream and Devi Bhava.  Last night, it was sweets with dinner, followed by fireworks.  Deepavali was being celebrated in full regal in Amritapuri.

Right after dinner, all gathered in front of the Temple and began lighting sparklers, crackers, and bottle rockets.  People were watching from the balconies of every floor of the flats.  Cheers echoed each time a cracker exploded, or a bottle rocket successfully shot up in the air and burst into bright colors.   All the while, Mother Nature had been having her own Deepavali celebration.   As soon as the sun had set, the eastern sky lit up with flashes of lightning from a distant storm.  The flashes continued all through bhajans and right up until when the students began lighting fireworks.   Then, after about 15 minutes of fun a tremendous downpour began.   Everyone cheered again, and ran for cover.
Happy Deepavali to all.

– Hari