What do you know about the Festival of Lights?
- asciaadubai
- Nov 2, 2018
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2018
If you're curious about the origins and celebration of the Diwali read on!
Right now, according to the Hindu lunar calendar, we are in one of the most auspicious months of the year; Kartik. On the Gregorian calendar Kartik begins on the 23rd of October. The first day of Diwali or the Festival of Lights falls on the thirteenth day of Kartik, the 5th of November.
India is a country filled with diversity: at least 8 known religions, six ethnic groups and twenty-two recognized languages. Diwali is the festival that brings the whole country together. The festival has its significance in religions besides Hinduism.
You definitely have heard of Diwali but many don’t know its origins. Why light diyas (oil lamps) around the house, why burst crackers, celebrate with lavish sweets (if you’re diabetic there’s still sugar free options for you!)?
There are many versions of the mythology of Diwali. Let’s talk briefly about two of them.
Lord Rama was the crown prince of Ayodhya . His stepmother chose to redeem a boon given by the King, Rama’s father, in the form of requesting an exile of 14 years for Rama and at the same time performing the coronation of her own son for the kingdom. Rama, his wife Sita and his stepbrother Laxman spent their days of exile in the forests living simple lives. One day while Sita was alone in the hut the three had built for themselves, she was kidnapped by Ravana the demon king of Lanka (modern day Sri Lanka). Rama overcame multiple obstacles: crossing the ocean, fighting armies and giants to rescue his wife. After the long battle he made way to return to his kingdom as the exile period was over. His subjects lit the path to the palace with diyas in celebration of his enormous defeat and return home.
Narakasura was a demon, tormenting Earth and heaven. Many Gods tried but were not able to quell him. They approached Lord Krishna, a reincarnation of the God of protection (Vishnu), and begged him to help. After a historical battle Krishna defeated the Narakasura. The victory translated into freedom for all his prisoners. Before dying, Narakasura asked for a boon from his mother: that everyone should celebrate his death with colorful light. Thus this day is celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi - the day before Diwali.
Both versions have a common theme: the triumph of good over evil, a common theme in stories all over the world whether contemporary or traditional.
Diwali is celebrated over four days.
Day 1: Dhanteras
Homes and business premises are cleaned. Diyas are lit around the house for the next five days. Women and children decorate doorways within homes with rangoli, designs made from rice flour, flower petals and coloured sand. The boys and men decorate the roofs and walls of family homes, markets and temples. The day is also a major shopping day to purchase new kitchen utensils, jewellery etc. Dhanteras represents annual renewal, cleansing and an auspicious start for the coming year.
Day 2: Choti (Small) DiwaliOn this day prayers are done to liberate any souls in hell or to pray for the peace of the souls of one's ancestors and light their way for their journeys in the afterlife. It is also the day Krishna defeated Narakasura.
It is also a major day for purchasing festive foods, particularly sweets. A variety of sweets are prepared. Confectioners and shops decorate Diwali-themed displays, selling sweet in hefty amounts, which are given as gifts to guests. Choti Diwali is also a day for visiting friends, business associates and relatives, and exchanging gifts. Families also prepare homemade delicacies for the main Diwali day.
This day is commonly celebrated as Diwali in South India. Some South Indian Hindus partake in an oil massage, take a ritual bath and visit a Hindu temple.
Day 3: Diwali, Lakshmi Puja
The third day is the pinnacle of the festival. Temples and homes are radiant with lights, thereby making it the "festival of lights".
The youngest in the family visit the older members. Special bonus payments are paid to employees. Shops either do not open or close early on this day allowing employees to enjoy family time. Shopkeepers perform puja (worship) rituals in their office premises. New books of account are opened during Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity) puja in North and West India.
As dusk approaches, new traditional clothes and jewellery are worn. At dusk, family members gather for the Lakshmi puja. More diyas are lit while some are set adrift on rivers and streams. After the puja, people go outside and celebrate by lighting up fireworks together, and then share a family feast and sweets.
Rituals across much of India are devoted to welcoming Lakshmi into their cleaned homes and bestow them with good fortune and joy for the coming year.
Firecrackers are burst which some understand as a way to drive away all evil spirits and the inauspicious, and add to the festive mood also. This ritual may also be linked to the tradition in some communities of paying respect to ancestors and giving them a celebratory and symbolic farewell to the departed ancestral souls.
Day 4: Annakut
This day ritually celebrates the bond between the wife and husband. In some regions husbands celebrate this with gifts to their wives. In others parents invite a newly married daughter, or son, together with their spouses to a festive meal and give them gifts.
A hundred dished are prepared from a plethora of ingredients and which is then dedicated to Krishna before being shared among the community. Hindu temples on this day prepare and present mountains of sweets to the faithful who have gathered for darshan(visit). In Gujarat, Annakut is the first day of the New Year and celebrated through the purchase of essentials, offering prayers to Krishna and visiting temples.
Day 5: Brother-sister bonding
The last day of the festival is called Bhai duj (brother's day).
The day celebrates the sibling bond between brother and sister. On this day the women of the family gather, perform prayers for the well being of their brothers, feed their brothers with their hands and receive gifts. In some Hindu traditions the women recite tales where sisters protect their brothers from enemies that seek to cause him either bodily or spiritual harm. In historic times, this was a day in autumn when brothers would travel to meet their married sisters to celebrate their sister-brother bond with the abundance of seasonal yields.
The presiding Hindu deity for those in architecture, building, manufacturing, textile work and crafts trades is worshipped. Cleaning of looms, tools of trade, machines and workplaces takes place and prayers are offered to these livelihood means.
The beauty of Diwali is its predictability.
Every family who celebrates this joyous occasion knows exactly what’s going to happen. The house will be cleaned, diyas will be lit all around it, colourful designs will mark the floors, sweets will be made and devoured, new clothes will be worn and firecrackers will be burst. The festival, as most Indian festivals are, is about bonding deeper with your family and paying respects for the good fortune you have in your life.
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