英语课程计划-Diwali（在线收听）

Diwali is the Hindu New Year festival and the biggest occasion in the Hindu calendar. It is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains. It is called the festival of lights because it celebrates the victory of good (light) over evil (darkness). The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, which means row of lights. Lights play an important role in Diwali. Throughout the five-day celebration, Hindus place special, decorative lights in their temples and homes. There are also lots of colourful fireworks displays. In India people make small lamps and try to float them across the Ganges river. It brings good luck if the lamp manages to get all the way across. Children love it because of the lights and because they get sweets from adults.

There are two legends of Diwali in which Hindu gods overcome evil. In one, Lord Krishna killed the evil demon king of Pragjyotishpur to set free 16,000 daughters of the gods. The second legend has the Hindu king Rama destroying Ravana, the wicked ten-armed, ten-headed king of Sri Lanka. Ravana kidnapped Rama’s wife for 14 years. Many Hindus love these mythical stories. The Times of India newspaper, however, summed up the modern meaning of Diwali: “Regardless of the mythological explanation…what the festival of lights really stands for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill, and a…celebration of the simple - and some not so simple - joys of life.”