Shine a Light

October and November are the months of Diwali, or Deepavali, or Deepawali, or ... (transliteration can be so confusing!). It means "row of lamps," and this holiday is known as the Festival of Lights, celebrating as it does the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. It is also the beginning of the Hindu New Year. It is a four- or five-day festival (depending on which source you read; one site says Deepavali is four days long and Diwali is five, that the former is celebrated mostly in South India and the latter in North India and in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, whose Indian populations mostly hail from the north). Its exact dates are decided by the position of the moon. This year, the main day, which is the middle day, is Nov. 13: http://hinduism.about.com/od/diwalifestivaloflights/a/diwali.htm and http://www.indiaexpress.com/faith/festivals/deepavali.html