The Festival of Lights – Diwali.
The festival of lights or Diwali is the biggest festival in India. What Christmas is for Christianity, Diwali is for Indians. I am going to take you on a journey through how it is celebrated and what is the significance of each day for us. За да прочетете статията на български, можете да инсталирате плъгин Google Преводач от тук.
What is Diwali?
Even though Diwali is celebrated in a slightly different manner across the country depending on the traditions, the message is common. It is the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance and ego.
The reason why it is known as the festival of lights lies in the name. Diwali or Deepavali originates from avali – a row and Deepa- lit clay lamps.
It is celebrated 20 days after Vijayadashami or Dussehra which marks the culmination of the Navaratri festival which lasts for 9 days and is celebrated with great fervor in the state of West Bengal in India.
Why is it celebrated?
Legend says on the day of Vijayadashami lord Rama defeated the demon king Ravana. It took him and his army 20 days to reach Ayodhya, his home. This though has been a topic of debate amongst historians. The total distance was approximately 2569 km considering the Ram setu or adams bridge existed. To walk this distance without taking a single break would ideally take just under 20 days.
The question that comes to mind is did he walk, take a horse and cover about 130 km everyday and took breaks. Or, did he fly using a Pushpaka Vimana (an aeroplane).
The most plausible answer given by historians was that he traveled the distance in 1 year and 18 days and reached Ayodhya. The people of Ayodhya celebrated the return of their king after 14 years of Vanvas. The reason – He was banished from his kingdom by Kaykeyi, one of the queens married to his father Dasharath.
Till date people celebrate his return home as Diwali.
The second less dramatic reason says that the darkest new moon of the year falls on the 20th day after Vijayadashami. The moon enters a waxing period that brings light back to life, signifying the theory of light over dark mentioned before.
Jains the followers of Jainism, celebrate Diwali as the day their spiritual guru or tirthankara attained liberation, Moksha or Nirvana.
The Sikhs celebrate Diwali as Bandi chhor diwas, the day their sixth Guru Hargobind was released from a Mughal prison.
Different days in festival of lights
Dhanteras or Dhanatrayodashi
This is the day on which Hindus worship lord Kubera or goddess Laxmi for abundance of wealth to come their way. This day is considered auspicious to buy gold and silver jewelry, new clothes or gadgets. In Indian mythology, this was the day when goddess Laxmi appeared from the ocean during the amrit manthan with a pot of gold to shower wealth and prosperity on her subjects. People also pray to Dhanvantari, the god of medicine on the same day.
Naraka Chaturdashi
On this day Lord Krishna with his wife Satyabhama defeated a demon called Narkasura. People in India celebrate it by getting up very early in the morning. They rub a ritualistic scrub called utna (mix of herbs) and apply coconut milk with little coconut scrapings and oil to their hair. To signify their victory over their inner demons on completing the bath called as abhyanga snan, we push a fruit called chirota or chirata and a lamp made out of dough with the pinky on our right foot. The fruit represents the Demon Narakasura or in context your ego or evil thoughts.
Laxmi Pujan
By this time the tempo is picking up and we reach the main day of Diwali – Laxmi Pujan. The entire family gets together in the evening to welcome the goddess Laxmi into our house. Women draw colorful rangolis outside your house doors and feet of the goddess entering the home. People keep their valuables like gold and money for worship in front of the gods. They pray for abundance of wealth, health and prosperity. This is also the day lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. There are rows of clay lamps lit across the house on balconies, windows and Inside the house. One look at it and you will realize why it is called the festival of lights.
Padwa or Govardhan Puja
This day is celebrated as Govardhan puja in North of India, Padwa or new year in some regions and Bali pratipada in the South of India. Yes, it can get confusing but let’s see what these things mean 🙂
Lord Vishnu was not pleased by the people of Mathura, the home of Lord Krishna. And to punish them he brought down incessant rains which flooded the region. Lord Krishna went to higher ground and lifted Mount Govardhan on his little finger so the cattle and people could assemble under it. North Indians pray to lord Krishna on this day.
In Gujarat and Maharashtra this day is celebrated as Padwa or the new years day. The wives pray for the long life and prosperity of their husbands while the husbands shower them with gifts:) I don’t think the gifts are extravagant nowadays but are more symbolic in nature.
South India celebrates this day as Bali pratipada. This is the day on which Lord Vishnu’s avatar Vamana took over all three realms from the demon king Bali and sent him to the underworld.
Bhaubij or Bhai dooj
Bhaubij is the celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters. It is said that on this day Yama the god of death visited his sister and she put a red tilak ( a mark starting between the brows and moving upwards) on his forehead. Yama announced that on this day any brother who has a red tilak on his forehead will be blessed with good health and prosperity. This ritual is followed by brothers and sisters exchanging gifts and sharing sweets.
That’s for the days but apart from that there are a lot of home cooked delicacies which the family binges on. Just like Christmas this is a period where Indians tend to put on a lot of weight gorging on all the sweets and fried specialties. Previously people used to burst crackers every day of Diwali but now it is reducing with people taking steps towards reducing the pollution and their carbon footprint. The government also puts restrictions over bursting crackers after a specific time of night.
What does Diwali mean to us?
The festival of lights is a time to take a break from everything. People return home from wherever they are, it’s time to bond with the family and loved ones. Eat a lot of good home cooked food, indulge in traditions keeping in mind its significance in the modern day. For me it is letting go of negativity, looking forward to a brighter future, letting go of bad vibes and moving ahead with positivity. We tend to start our new ventures during this period. That’s why I am sharing my website with you on this day of 5th November- Gudi Padwa. Happy New year to all..
