Diwali Continued Continued...Fireworks

Fireworks are a huge deal during Diwali. Beginning several days leading up to Diwali, the noise began and it sounded like we were living in a war zone. The day of Diwali they were continuous and the sky stayed lit all across the city. Smoke also covered the city. Even our house seemed to be filled with a little smoke. Of course, fireworks are big in America, but the difference is that in India there are no regulations and no space. People do fireworks anywhere and everyone - on major road, on rooftops, etc. Any small piece of concrete seems to be fair game, no matter what trees or powerlines may be around. Even driving can be hazardous and you have to stop and let people finish the fireworks they have lit in the middle of the street. There are a few other interesting things about the fireworks here that can best be explained by photos.

Notice that all the fireworks have babies on them. Is that their target audience? From the kids I've seen running around with fireworks, maybe so.





Speaking of babies, this was taken at Anita's house. Yes, it is exactly what it looks like. That is Anita's 3 year old, with a sparkler in the house. Yes, they simple lit it on the little gas stove there and played with them inside. It made me a little nervous.



Another interesting thing is the concept of jumping in fireworks. This was done by by Mona's family and was really funny to watch. They lit a firework and then they jumped in it and jumped up and down.



Yes, it didn't seem very safe at all, and I thought it was just some quirky family tradition (we all have those). Then, I looked at my friend Julie's blog and it seems that this is common all over the country. lol.



All those pictures make me laugh, only in India!