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Though the festival is over and its back to work...a promise is a promise.So here goes @CoralLevang In the North-east and Eastern part of India, the Diwali festival also coincides with Kali Puja . Houses are given a 'Spring 'or rather Autumn cleaning. Preparations for the lighting up involves buying earthen lamps a couple of days ahead. The trick then is to soak them in water for a long time , first we see bubbles coming up and then the water settles down. The lamps are then dried in the sun. This is done so that mustard oil which are used for lighting them is not soaked up. Then we get busy making the wicks.Cutting yarns into the right size and giving them a twist between our palms. They are placed in the diyas and mustard oil poured into them and placed all around the house. Everybody goes to light up the lamps. Nowadays electric fairy lights which are so magical are also used and wrapped around trees and shrubs and hung from balconies like Christmas decorations. With communications both physical and electronic growing by leaps and bounds, cultural traditions are also getting intermingled.So,people in my area too have started making rangoli..beautiful decorations made with coloured powder. Then there are the crackers, the sweets and the feasts.People also traditionally gamble ...card playing games. And most of all for me its a time to be together with family and friends.