The Shree Sanatan Dharm Purohit Brahman Maha Sabha Fiji has clarified Diwali will be on Tuesday and there will be no impact of the solar eclipse on Fiji on Diwali.
General Secretary Krishneel Tiwari says the auspicious time for Diwali starts at 11.55pm Monday however, the auspicious time for Diwali prayer is from 6.10pm to 8.36pm.
He further says as per the Hindu calendar for Fiji, there are only two lunar eclipses that will be visible in Fiji.
Tiwari says the solar eclipse will not be visible in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia on Tuesday so Hindus in these countries will not be affected.
The General Secretary also says Diwali is a five day festival where the first festival of Dhanteras will be on Sunday, followed by Hanuman Jayanti and Narak Chaturdashi on Monday when the Yam Deepak is lit, Diwali on Tuesday, Govardhan Puja on Wednesday and Bhai Duj on Thursday.
On Dhanteras people pray to Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and prosperity and some people also purchase utensils and jewellery to bring good luck.
People pray to Lord Hanuman on Hanuman Jayanti and also light the Yam Deepak for their departed ancestors as part of the Narak Chaturdashi festival.
Govardhan Puja commemorates the incident when Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains while Bhai Duj is a celebration of the bond between a brother and a sister.
Meanwhile, Diwali Puja will be aired on Radio Sargam and on our website, fijivillage at 6pm on Diwali and ingredients needed for the prayer is being aired four times daily at 8.30am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm and 7.30pm.
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