Diwali In Its Full Glory

My last Diwali post was a little premature as I haven't seen anything yet. As soon as it got darker, the sounds of fireworks started getting louder and louder. Yinon ran to me shivering like a leaf and jumped in place every time we heard a load "boom". It literally sounded like we were in the middle of a war zone. It dawned on me that cracking noises leading up to tonight were just a kiddie game. We must be getting the real deal now.

Diwali must be the reason Indian homes are built without glass windows as they wouldn't last one celebration. Also, because the windows are always open you hear every pop and sound as if it was happening in the middle of your living room.

Soon Raphael came running to get me saying that I am missing something really really fun. Off we go to the upper roof. Here we see the most amazing sight. The whole town is exploding in colorful random spontaneous fireworks shot by families from the rooftops of their houses. Wow, it literally feels like we are part of the fireworks show as they are exploding all around us. All of the sudden the sound does not seem so scary any more as we can see where it originates from. We're taking it all in, big grins on our faces. Maya and Raphael are besides themselves from excitement. They are also quite disappointed that we don't have any firecrackers left. I am quietly grateful for that. Yinon is still shivering and needs to be held.

This it the real freedom, declares Eial. Do whatever you want, fire up whatever you want, with your own family, on your own rooftop. Diwali is a festival of lights after all. And what a way to start a New Year.