Indians across the country have begun celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic and rising air pollution.
Diwali is typically celebrated by socialising and exchanging gifts with family and friends.
Many light oil lamps or candles to symbolise a victory of light over darkness, and fireworks are set off as part of the celebrations.
Last year, celebrations in India were upended by a renewed spike in COVID-19 infections, but festivities this year seem to be back.
Even though the government has asked people to avoid large gatherings, markets have been buzzing ahead of Diwali, with eager crowds buying flowers, lanterns and candles.
As dusk fell on Wednesday, more than 900,000 earthen lamps were lit and kept burning for 45 minutes in the northern city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh state, retaining the Guinness World Record it set last year.
As part of the Diwali celebrations, the city last year lit 606,569 oil lamps.
The festival is being celebrated at a time when India’s pandemic crisis has largely subsided.
On Thursday, the country recorded more than 12,000 new coronavirus cases and 461 deaths, a far cry from earlier this year when India buckled under a few hundred thousand new infections every day.
Overall, it has recorded more than 35 million infections and over 459,000 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. These figures, as elsewhere, are likely undercounts.
India also celebrated administering its billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose last month, further boosting confidence that life is returning to normal.
Still, experts have warned the festival season could bring a renewed spike in infections if COVID-19 health measures aren’t enforced.
There are also worries over air pollution, which typically shrouds northern India under a toxic grey smog at this time as temperatures dip and winter settles in.
On Diwali night, people also lit up the sky with firecrackers – their smoke causing pollution that takes days to clear.
AAP
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