Happy Diwali!

I am very excited to experience my first Diwali.

It's a combination of several holidays (in my experience) it is the festival of lights that reminds me of Sweden at Christmas. Everyone is burning candles and the flicker of the flame is so beautiful. Here they use lots of small oil lamps but tea lights are used too.

Businesses decorate themselves with strings and strings of Xmas lights like in the United States.

There are fireworks EVERYWHERE! It's like the 4th of July only ordinary people have the big guns in their own homes. I haven't seen any organized fireworks displays, it's just households lighting off very powerful stuff like it's no big deal. For the last several days we have had fireworks from 6:00a to midnight. It has been difficult to sleep but there is so much excitement and joy flowing that my frustration is easily wiped away. Children are usually the ones doing the lighting. Our maid brought some for the kids and handed August a box of matches so I had to explain that she can light the fireworks in the street but the kids are not allowed to touch them (except the sparklers).

Erik is at work but our driver and maid have the day off. I will spend the day at the pool with the kids.