NEW DELHI, Nov. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Firecrackers vibrating loudly over the Indian capital, candles lit up in front of the door of each house, electric bulbs shining at each window Delhi residents were celebrating the first day of Diwali or Festival of Lights despite the serial blasts three days ago.

    They are sending out the message of resilience that they are trying to put behind the tragedy that killed 59 people and injured about 210 others.

    "Life has to go on. And people are brave enough to face it," said Rita Josh, mother and wife who had just finished lighting small oil lamps in front of her house. Last night she and her husband went to the market for shopping gifts and candles used for festival celebration.

    Sarojini market, which suffered the most with 43 people dead inthe bomb blast Saturday, has reopened since Sunday evening.

    Shopkeepers were still searching through the rubble to retrieve whatever they could and the small booth, where the bomb exactly exploded, still stood with burnt roof and black wall but the market returned to what it was. The shopping crowd has recovered close to the normal level on Monday.

    "I am afraid of the bomb because I was here at that time. But customers are coming and we have business to do," said Raj Kumar, a shopkeeper at Sarojini. "I feel terribly sorry for the victims but we have to move on. That's the only way I know to deal with this thing".

    As a Hindu tradition, people will light candles and lamps in their house to guide Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth, into their home and relatives and friends will exchange sweets and nuts as gifts during the festival. Many local residents rushed to the markets for shopping before Diwali like Westerners preparing for Christmas.

    Three serial blasts rocked Delhi on Saturday, two of which hit busy shoppers markets and one hit a crowded bus right in the shopping season for Diwali, which caused great casualties of civilians.

    A militant group from India-controlled Kashmir named Inqilab has claimed responsibility for orchestrating the blasts.

    There is a general feeling -- not just in Delhi but the rest ofthe country -- that not celebrating the festival would only be a signal of giving in to what the bombers had expected through such terrorists attacks.

    But some people prefer to low-key celebrations.

    "Celebrate we will but on a lesser scale. We'll only light candles. There'll be no bursting of firecrackers or all-night cardsessions," travel consultant Atul Seth said. Enditem