festival of lights

What Is The Festival Of Lights?

Diwali, translated, means ‘rows of lighted lamps.’ It comes with various legends attached to it. Some people believe that this day celebrates King Rama’s return. He was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His wife, Queen Sita, accompanies him to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. The residents celebrated his return by lighting clay lamps and putting them in rows.

Other people believe that the Festival of Lights celebrates Lord Krishna, who defeated the Prince Narakasura to bring peace on earth. In a sense, it’s similar to the Christian holiday of Christmas, showcasing Jesus Christ was born.

In fact, Americans often use this holiday season to drive visitors to their events and go to church more. Since there are so many faiths, and each one does things differently, it’s a great way to get in your holiday light displays and drive through a park that offers this.

You can see many festive lights and have a great time. Some events have music, including Christmas-themed options. The season is meant to be a family tradition, and the best thing is it happens every year.

How It’s Celebrated

The Festival of Lights celebration lasts five days. Usually, paper lanterns or clay lamps are lit, as well as firecrackers and candles. This signifies that light broke the darkness and good prevailed over evil. It’s similar to the December holiday meaning Christmas. This is where Jesus Christ was born. He was meant to be the messiah for the entire world and came to earth in human form to teach the Christian ways.

Though the celebration rarely happens in December, it often signifies the start of the holiday season. Winter is cold and dreary, but Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the Festival of Lights bring some fun and excitement, including music and a festive experience.

Recently, Americans have gotten in on the season. San Antonio and New York have hosted significant festivals that drew in thousands of people. In fact, the White House has a celebration every year, too.

Local traditions often have the family buying new clothes on the Friday before the experience. Cleaning is a big part of it, too. Often, Hindus go to a temple to say a prayer to Lakshmi or Ganesh. Charity is also a big part of the experience, so most people use the event to donate their time or money. This can happen through the local temple or through different charities in the area.

The day right after the festival lights is when gifts are exchanged. This is similar to Christmas (Christian) and Hanukah (Jewish). Everyone checks in with their friends and family members. However, the last day of the festival is there for siblings so that they can celebrate together.

8 Famous Lights Festivals

It’s important to understand this winter holiday and how the event is different in various cultures. Take the time to learn about it so that you can experience the season how it’s meant to be done.

Though you aren’t likely to visit a temple to pray, Christians can visit a church and pray to Jesus Christ. This is just one way to create your own traditions and take part in the amazing Festival of Lights.

1. Disney festival of lights

For a ton of fun, visit Disney Adventure Park in California. Attend temple services for free and visit church.

Visitors here can drive through and see many lights. Safety protocols are in place, so all the visitors have to follow the rules. You may park at a temple instead of driving to the parking lot. Often, the temple and church locations offer free parking for visitors of all faiths. Christmas is also a great time to see the lights.

2. Oglebay Lights

When it comes to twinkling fairy lights, one of the well-known feasts in the US is the Oglebay Festival of Lights. The main aim of the festival is to entertain the locals as well as the visitors. The festival provides several shows and other outstanding spots that everyone must see.

3. Tanglewood Festival Of Lights

This family-friendly event usually has Santa on site, so the kids can tell him what they want for Christmas. There’s also S’moresville, which is a camp-style site. Your family can sit around the campfire and roast marshmallows while sipping some hot chocolate and other beverages. Read More>>

4. Festival Of Lights Longleat

The lights Festival Longleat is a fantastic seasonal event you can enjoy with your loved ones. The Festival of Lights in Longleat is one of the most awaited events every year.

Festival of lights in Longleat’s brings more than 7 000 lanterns in 10 miles silk, blinking Christmas lights, twinkle lights, lights exhibition, fairy lights, 25 miles of LED lights, 30 tons of steel frames illuminated structure, and more! Read More>>

5. Blackpool Illuminations

Blackpool Illuminations is a world-famous light festival with six miles of traditional tableaux and festoons along the Promenade.

For more than a century, the festival of lights has been part of every family’s holiday tradition in the UK. 

6. Vivid Lights Festival – Sydney

Visit Sydney in May to June to experience its grandest Vivid lights festival. Then, do not miss the chance to explore the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and other landmarks!

Sydney is probably everyone’s bucket list to travel and explore. As the biggest and most stunning city in Australia, it has a lot of things to offer, from landmarks, museums to other breathtaking attractions.

One of its remarkable tourist destinations would be the Opera House. Apart from its magnificent structure, it is home to a concert hall, cinema, theaters, exhibition room, and studio. It is indeed recognized as one of the world’s greatest icons for a reason.

But before the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge was the best-known landmark in Sydney. Constructed in 1932, it remains the largest steel arch bridge across the globe.

Whether you have witnessed the beauty of the Opera House or the Harbour Bridge and are looking for something that will bring back some of your childhood memories, the Vivid lights festival is perfect.

As the name implies, it is an annual light exhibition in Sydney. The organizer does not disappoint the locals and other tourists with its grand projections and light exhibitions every year. It transforms various landmarks, including the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and other prominent landmarks in the area.

Started in 2009, the Vivid lights festival is now one of the biggest light exhibitions around the world that millions of people anticipate. In 2012, it attracted around 500,000 visitors. In 2013, it increased up to 800,000, and In 2019, there were a whopping 2.4 million people who attended the event. This 2023 there were more than 500,000 people who watched the spectacular drone show

Aside from the massive light exhibitions, Vivid Sydney provides various contemporary music events and workshops centered around the Creative Industries. If you want to meet one of your favorite singers or learn a skill at the same time, Vivid Sydney has them all.

7. Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights

Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights is a rain or shine event that both locals and tourists love to join. This family-oriented light festival transforms the Bronx Zoo into a magical place.

During the evenings, the festival of lights venue comes to life with architectural lighting, blinking Christmas lights, colored arches and tunnels, animated sculptures, holiday décor, animal lanterns, fairy lights, and immersive light displays.

8. Boston Lights – Franklin Park Zoo Lights

The event illuminates the Franklin Park Zoo with lights and lanterns that will surely amaze people as they see it.

With the lights festival, you can walk around the glowing corridors of sunflowers, lotus, cherry blossoms, cranes, and towering 87-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex tunnel. The exhibition of lights is also ideal for families. 

Save The Date!

If you haven’t done so yet, you may want to search and find out what time and dates the next Festival of Lights is going to be. That way, you can make plans to attend the center of your choice and determine how bad traffic is going to be and where to park your car. News of the next event is sure to start coming out soon because people start planning for the holiday in advance.

Consider searching for a church that welcomes visitors before Christmas. They often open for the light displays in the hopes that you might visit in December to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which most Christians celebrate through Christmas.

Drive to a different state to see the many ways to celebrate. Visitors to any other city should focus on safety when they drive. Only park where you’re asked to do so. If in a church or temple parking lot, be respectful of the properties.

On a personal note

The field of lighting in general and the world of lighting festivals in particular is a fascinating, amazing, exciting and many other good things, for me it mainly gives a lot of joy and fun. I hope you enjoy the information on the blog and I would be happy to receive any comments/criticism for improvement. Thanks!
ARIK AKUNIS