Diwali is one of the most auspicious festivals in India; it’s a festival of lights. Diwali has a unique charm of its own; it is known as festival of prosperity. People start preparing for the celebrations well before the start of the festive season. They clean, pain, decorate their homes and prepare exotic dishes to be distributed among the loved ones. The celebration begins with shopping, buying gifts for distribution. It is difficult to imagine celebrating Diwali without thinking about giving or receiving Gifts. Gifting is a major part of the celebration.
In India, Diwali celebration is a time for the corporate to distribute gifts; from micro, small, medium to big corporate houses all believe in gifting their employees, suppliers, consultants, bankers, channel partners etc. It is one of the best times to reward the employees for all their hard work throughout the year: employees get their bonus, this is a very old method of rewarding the employees.
The rich and the poor all celebrate the festival in their own way. One can add a personal touch and, unique ideas while gifting in Diwali. People give gifts because it helps in strengthening relationship; the gifts are a wonderful way to express affection. For some gifting is a way to celebrate the festival, while for others it is a special occasion to let family and friends know that the giver cares for them. In short, people give gifts as a way of showing thoughtfulness, love and affection. When we give gifts, it brings joy or pleasure to the receiver. In addition, giving gifts is something which usually makes us feels good. When shopping for gifts it does not matter whether the gift is small or big, expensive of cheap, the value in terms of love is beyond measure.
Gifting is an art. It shows the gracefulness of the giver and the receiver as well. Giving a handmade gifts indicates that one is willing to put in the time and efforts for the loved ones. It’s just not crafts or painting which can be given as gifts in this category it can also be homemade chocolates and cakes, self-knitted scarves and more. Gifting handicrafts and items from cottage industry shows how much one cares for the artisans and micro industry workers. I believe people enjoy gifting because they reaps the biggest psychological gains from a gift. The act of giving helps to think of others. When we think of others and put them ahead of ourselves, we reduce our thoughts about ourselves and thereby resting our ego a little bit. Similarly, when we accept gifts with genuine gratitude irrespective of whether we like it or not, we reduce thoughts about ourselves and thereby our ego. This is a spiritual benefit of giving and receiving gifts.
Gifts are given to mark milestones, and Diwali is one of the most auspicious occasion. Diwali also marks the end of harvest season of the year. This is the time, farmers measure their harvest from their crops. Farmers gratify the mother earth for the plentiful bounty of the year gone by, and hence they share their happiness with everybody else. In fact this is one important reason why they exchange gifts and sweets.
That said this is not the only reason why we gift sweets. Diwali also means start of a new year. It also marks the beginning of a new farming, starting a new year of business. We welcome New Year by firing crackers, wearing new clothes, visiting temples, visiting the friends and relatives and exchanging sweets and gifts.
Wishing a very Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year to all regular and wonderful readers on my blog!!!