A Study in Sunlight II — Archived from October 2006
We celebrate two festivals in the month of October in honour of the Mother Goddess. The first, Navaratri, honours her in the form of Durga. Navaratri literally means nine nights, which are celebrated with dancing and feasting going into the wee hours of the next day. The festival culminates with the celebration of Ram's victory over Ravana in the epic Ramayana on the tenth day, which is called Dussera.
The second festival, the grandest of all Hindu celebrations, is Diwali. It signifies the end of the year according to the Hindu calendar. Shopowners close the accounts of the previous year and begin with afresh. Rites are performed to honour Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and ask for good business in the coming year.