What Glitters Can Be Luculent -
But Isn't Necessarily Luminous
Case in point:
In a nation that is rife with such fairs and festivals
in astronomical numbers such as to make one
lose complete track of time - and more -
especially in the hellish season of winter,
The ''Festival of Lights'' comes into the picture
fairly late and somewhat under-publicized as well...
That is because it caters to a most particular
as partial crowd - and yet, it is a diverse crowd too
which includes the Sikh, Hindu and Jain...
One could jest that the Jedi belong in there, as well:
for, surely, George Lucas has found much
to inspire him in this, here...
For it certainly wasn't just buddhism
that did it for George - no, sir...
But that is -of course- another story.
The craftmanship of the above collectible
has got to be lauded, certainly -
as it strives to combine elements
from every culture it is to touch the hearts of.
There is a maple leaf there, after all,
with, at its center, a diya
which is a clay lamp
symbolic of the diwali festivities.
As described on the website itself, these are
''key central elements that illustrate
the blending of multiple cultures''
indeed.
The descriptive text is even more laudable,
than the coin itself, for us,
as it continues to put the emphasis
on that all-important aspect
as it makes mention of the flame too:
''the flame at the centre of the design
reflects the essence
of the Festival of Lights,
its light radiating outwards
like spokes on a wheel
that are framed by a ring
of maple leaves'' - no less!
And, as you know, reflecting light
as radiating it
are two very important things for us here...
We were captivated
by the words, rather than the coin
or the festival itself...
The Festival of Lights,
also known as Diwali
is about one thing, above all:
the celebration of good triumphing over evil.
That is the unquestionable unifying trait
binding this tradition in each and all of
the cultures mentioned and omitted here.
''Every faith has its own Diwali legends''
says the text found accompanying this
It is for ''an incredible diverse ethno-social group''
which celebrates the Diwali in Canada
that such a coin was crafted...
Is it coincidence that the obverse art is by a Canadian
while the reverse art is by a true Diwali ''reveller''...?
Perhaps - does it matter anyways?
That the Diwali is such a big deal in Canada now
underlines quite spectacularly the fact
that this poor confused nation
has reached a peak in its self-identity crisis;
it truly is a ''cultural mosaic''
with all sorts of pieces glued together
much like a crazy quilt is thrown together in haste
by a senile granny without much wits left...
And so it is now -
and so it has come to this:
Happy Diwali Canada
:-!
now please don't tell us
this wasn't clear enough...
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