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nnThisnHindu festival is popularly known as the “festival of lights.”nSmall clay lamps filled with oil are lit to represent the triumph ofngood over evil. Also, people celebrating Diwali wear new clothes andnshare sweets and snacks with friends and family.
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nnSomenpeople have fireworks shows and burst firecrackers. Others makenbeautiful electrical light displays on their houses or hang colorfulnpaper lanterns. A decoration that doesn’t involve light is rangoli,ndesigns made on floors or courtyards from colored powder (colorednrice, flour, or sand can be used).
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nnDidnyou know….?
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nnOnenof the nations that sets aside Diwali as an official holiday isnIndia. Did you know that there is one city, Sivakasi, located in thenstate of Tamil Nadu, that produces 90% of the fireworks in the entirencountry? There are more than 8,000 fireworks factories in this onencity, including the world’s largest firework-manufacturing unit!
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nn(Sivakasinis also the home of the safety match industry—factories in thisncity manufacture 80% of the nation’s safety matches. Finally, thencity is big in the printing industry, with calendar art and colorfulnposters being printed on many offset printing presses.)
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nnHowndo fireworks work?
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nnHerenis a video that shows the components and hand-built creation of anlarge-scale firework.
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nnPyroUniverse offers diagrams to help you understand how fireworks work.
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nnNOTE:nthe components of fireworks are very dangerous to use, and it isnincredibly dangerous to try to make fireworks yourself!!!
