Diwali stamp image via USPS.
The United States Postal Service has released a special new stamp celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, just a few weeks before it begins.
The five-day festival, which follows the Hindu lunar calendar, takes place in the autumn month, in the Hindu month of Kartik, but moves throughout the year. This year, the festival peaks on the new moon, which on the Gregorian calendar happens on Nov. 8.
Indian artist Sangita Bhutada, who is based in Houston, Texas, created the rangoli featured on the stamp. A rangoli is a kind of Indian decoration created out of colored rice powder, chalk, and flower petals on the floors of homes. Rangoli are thought to bring good luck, fortune, and prosperity, and are usually placed at thresholds.
But rangoli is not their only name, nor is there just one way to create them. In South India, rangoli is also called kolam. In Rajasthan, the same decorations are called mandana and can be drawn on walls, while in Kolkata, they are also called alpana and can be created on floors, walls, and in courtyards. In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, they are called chowk purna and aripan, respectively.
During Diwali, celebrants take the time to clean and adorn their homes with colorful decorations, auspicious symbols, rangoli, candles, and small clay lamps called diyas, which they light on the peak day of Diwali.
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