Deepavali

After all the talk about our (traditional) Navarathri, it is time for Deepavali. Our practise has always been to wake up very early, have our "ganga snaanam", rush out to be one of the first to burst the loudest bomb to wake up the neighbourhood, then around 7am leave to visit relatives for namaskarams.

Apart from the above, is there anything that was done in the olden days for deepavali? Would love to know more.

Akila