King Dashrath had once been saved by a woman whom he later married. She became his third wife, where she was promised that one of her wishes would be fulfilled. Thus, she was also the third queen at that time.
The queen took the opportunity to wish that her son, Bharat, would become king. Instead of the original heir Ram, who would also be thrown out of the kingdom. As promised, her wish was fulfilled. Naturally, Ram's wife, Sita, chose to go along. So did his stepbrother Lakshman because everyone loved Ram so much.
Bharat refused to take over the kingdom and wanted to join, but Ram persuaded him as his stepbrother had a duty to the people. As a result, Bharat chose to live a very simple life for 14 years, like his brother, but in the palace. He also renounced royal luxuries, which was a great defeat for his mother. She died of grief and shame.
They were to be exiled for 14 years, living the life of forest people, not royalty. One day, Sita saw a deer, which she thought was beautiful. She told Ram that she wanted the deer. Ram refused to leave her alone again to catch the deer, but finally Sita got her way with Lakshman staying behind to watch. Shortly after, he heard Ram calling for help. He drew a line with his arrow that Sita was not allowed to cross.
As soon as he was gone, a “holy man” came and asked if he could have some food. He lured Sita across the border and transformed himself back into what he really was, the demon Ravan. This was his revenge because his demon sister wanted to marry Ram, but in insult at the offer, Lakshman had cut off her nose and ears. Ravan kidnapped Sita and took her with him to what we now call Sri Lanka.
To win Sita back, the brothers got help from the "monkey god" Hanuman who gathered the entire monkey clan to fight against Ravan. He had idolized Ram since childhood and wanted to help. In the fight they also got help from Ravan's brother, who had been thrown out of the demon kingdom, and tells them where Ravan's weakest point is.
After a battle, Ram wins Sita back and they happily return home after 14 years in exile. This is the root of the celebration of Diwali, where the entire kingdom celebrates their return with fireworks, good food and gifts for the beloved royal couple.
The story is long, but beautiful and I remember telling my children this all year. It is so nice to be able to share the tradition and see what kind of joy they also have from this day. The story behind the celebration also has such a nice moral where good wins over evil, light as a symbol of hope and love, obedience and the moral of keeping promises. Not least charity or how Ram is an exemplary son, husband and brother.
Today we all light candles in the house and wish everyone a "Happy Diwali"!