File Under: WTF?

I was in Walgreens last night looking for a birthday card, and came across something very bizarre in the greeting card section of the store.  I was looking at the cards for National Boss's Day, and was going to buy one for my boss but I didn't want to seem like a suck-up.  Then in the section next to the Boss's Day cards was a selection of cards for Diwali.  My immediate response was WTF?  I'm usually hip when it comes to holidays, but this one threw me for a loop.

The first thing I noticed about the Diwali cards was that they were in multi-packs of ten; they weren't sold individually.  I thoujght "Maybe Diwali is such a big holiday that you will want to send out lots of Diwali cards."  I picked up one of the packs and read the front of the card - "From our house to yours on Diwali." Innocent enough.  Then I flipped the pack jover and read the inscription on the inside of the card - "We hope you have a prosperous Diwali."  I grabbed another pack and looked at the back and it's inscription was "Wishing you a wealth of blessings on Diwali."  Ooohhh.  I get it now.  Prospeous....wealth....blessings....Diwali must be a gift giving holiday. Of course they sell them in multi-packs because you'll want to send/receive lots of cards.

After consulting my friend Stacy (who had called about another pressing WFT moment, which I will discuss tomorrow), we decided that Diwali sounds like something that the Divas will celebrate this weekend with a champagne toast. 

My curiosity was still aroused this morning, so I looked Diwali up online.  Here's wht I found:

This is perhaps the most well-known [ooookay] of the Indian festivals: it is celebrated throughout India, as well as in Indian communities throughout the diaspora. [diaspora: The Indian Diaspora is a generic term to describe the people who migrated from territories that are currently within the borders of the Republic of India. It also refers to their descendants.] It usually takes place eighteen days after Dusshera. [another Indian holiday] It is colloquially known as the "festival of lights", for the common practice is to light small oil lamps (called diyas) and place them around the home, in courtyards, verandahs, and gardens, as well as on roof-tops and outer walls. In urban areas, especially, candles are substituted for diyas; and among the nouveau riche, neon lights are made to substitute for candles.[cool - just like in Vegas!!] The celebration of the festival is invariably accompanied by the exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks. As with other Indian festivals, Diwali signifies many different things to people across the country. In north India, Diwali celebrates Rama's homecoming, that is his return to Ayodhya after the defeat of Ravana and his coronation as king; in Gujarat, the festival honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth; and in Bengal, it is associated with the goddess Kali. Everywhere, it signifies the renewal of life, and accordingly it is common to wear new clothes on the day of the festival; similarly, it heralds the approach of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.

Happy Diwali, everyone.