Badhausar
For Gujaratis Diwali is known as Badhausar. It is their belief that on this
day Goddess Lakshmi descends from the heaven to the earth to live in a clean
and tidy house. This a general belief of having clean house. Flowers of
different hues and colors decorate the households. Girls of the all
household go around in groups to each and they are traditionally dressed in
the full bright colors that they are known for. The girls offer Mera, a
prayer in front of each household and invoke God to bless each member of the
family.
Rangoli is a floral design and use of flower is custom on the day of
Badhausar. On the next day all the girls of the village prepare the sweets
and personally take the sweets from house to house and deliver it with good
wishes. They also carry earthen lamps (diyas) through the village in the
evening on the second day making the entire atmosphere picturesque
devotional fun enduring.
