The word Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit word Deepavali which means a row of lights. For this reason, the Diwali festival is sometimes referred to as the Festival of Lights. Diwali and Shree Sadguru Din Commemorations were celebrated on Sunday 27th October 2019.
The festival of lights celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. Lamps and divas are lit allowing us to remember and reflect on the true purpose of Diwali.
The Diwali festivities started off with Sandhya aarti followed by dhyan, followed by Jeevanpran Swamibapa’s and Acharya Swamishree’s divine blessings. Chopda Poojan was then conducted. The significance of Chopda Poojan is to perform poojan on the accounting books of the next financial year. Devotees conduct this poojan to seek blessings for their businesses and to achieve the goals they have set.
The Hindu New year, which took place on Monday 18th October 2019 exhibited a Grand Annakut (food display). The Hindu New year festivities started off with Aarti, followed by Jeevanpran Swamibapa’s divine blessings followed by Acharya Swamishree’s New year’s divine blessings. To conclude, disciples greeted and embraced each other, forgiving each other for all past mistakes and looking forward to the new year.
In the evening, an amazing Firework Display took place lighting up the sky at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Bolton