Diwali – the Festival of Lights |05 November 2010

For most of the Indians, this is the biggest festival and it is the day when they want to be with their families and perform the prayers together in their own homes.

Deepavali is an official holiday in India, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Myanmar , Fiji and Surinam.

Across the world Diwali is assuming greater significance year after year. In 2007 it was given official status by the United States Congress, and in 2009 Barack Obama became the first president to attend Diwali at the White House.

Diwali in North India, and in various other parts of the world where North Indians have migrated to, specifically involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.
 
During Diwali, celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Some Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali, hoping for prosperity the following year.

In South India, Narakasura Vadha is the main day, with celebrations involving lighting firecrackers at dawn after Lakshmi puja. It is celebrated as Narakachaturdashi.

Celebrations at Diwali often begin almost a month before the festival. Sales of clothes, expensive silk saris, jewellery, ornaments and household goods increase.

From the poor to the rich, everyone indulges in the largest shopping spree of the year. The festival is full of messages depicting one or more aspects of human life, relationships and ancient traditions.

Main Deepavali celebrations are spread over five days. All the days except Diwali are named according to their designation in the Hindu calendar.

The days are: Vasu Baras (12 Krishna Paksha Ashvin) – on this day the cow and calf are worshipped.

Dhan Teras (13 Krishna Paksha Ashvin) – Dhan means wealth and Trayodashi means 13th day. This day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month.

It is considered an auspicious day for buying utensils and gold and is regarded as the Jayanti of god Dhanvantri, who came out during the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons.

Naraka Chaturdashi (14 Krishna Paksha Ashvin) – Chaturdashi is the 14th day on which the demon Narakasura was killed by Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness (Gujarati: Kali Chaudas, Rajasthan: Roop Chaudas).

In southern India, this is the actual day of festivities. Hindus wake up before dawn, have a fragrant oil bath and dress in new clothes. They light small lamps all around the house and draw elaborate kolams /rangolis outside their homes. They perform a special puja with offerings to Krishna or Vishnu, as he liberated the world from the demon Narakasura on this day.

It is believed that taking a bath before sunrise, when the stars are still visible in the sky, is equivalent to taking a bath in the holy Ganges. After the puja, children light firecrackers to herald the defeat of the demon.

As this is a day of rejoicing, many will have very elaborate breakfasts and lunches and meet family and friends.
 
Lakshmi Puja (15 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Lakshmi Puja marks the most important day of Diwali celebrations in North India. Hindu homes worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the god of auspicious beginnings, and then light lamps in the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and wellbeing.

Bali Pratipada and Govardhan Puja (1 Shukla Paksha Kartika) – in North India, this day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut, and is celebrated as the day Krishna – an incarnation of the god Vishnu – defeated Indra and by lifting Govardhana hill saved his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods.

For Annakut, large quantities of food are decorated symbolising the Govardhana hill lifted by Krishna. In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or Bali Padyami. The day commemorates the victory of Vishnu in his dwarf form Vamana over the demon-king Bali, who was expelled to the nether-world, and the return of Bali to earth from the nether-world.

In Maharashtra, it is called Padava or Nava Diwas (new day). Men present gifts to their wives on this day. It is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in Gujarat.

Bhaiduj  (2 Kartika or 2 Shukla Paksha Kartika): on this day, brothers and sisters meet to express affection for each other (Gujarati: Bhai Bij, Bengali: Bhai Phota). It is based on a story that Yama, lord of death, visited his sister Yami, who welcomed him with an Aarti and they had a feast together. Yama gave a gift to Yami while leaving as a token of his appreciation. So the day is also called Yam Dwitiya.

In Seychelles, Diwali has been celebrated with great enthusiasm, pomp and show for many years, with Indians and Seychellois rejoicing together. While people have individual celebrations at home, lighting clay lamps, candles and strings of electric lamps, Laksmi Puja (goddess of wealth) and cooking traditional sweets and other delicacies, there are community celebration as well.

The Hindu Council of Seychelles has arranged a grand cultural programme with firecrackers and sweets at the Roche Caïman swiming pools tomorrow. Various community Hindu temples in Seychelles will have special Puja tomorrow morning, where God will be offered 56 kind of delicious dishes called AnnaKut or Chappan Bhog.

The Patel Group has organised a community gathering tomorrow evening. The Hindu Kovil Sangam is also organising a sparkling cultural programme in the Diwali festival series at the International Conference Centre auditorium on November 14.

Like most other festivals, Diwali also has significant spiritual meaning, which is "the awareness of the inner light". Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this inner light which outshines all darkness and awakens a person to his/her true nature, not as the body but as the unchanging, infinite reality.

This brings universal compassion, joy, peace, love and the awareness of the oneness of all things in celebrants and society as whole.

It is appropriate, therefore, to conclude that ways of celebrating this highly important festival called Diwali may vary from region to region, but its essence remains the same – to rejoice with family and friends in the immortal aura of the inner and outer light of any celebrant.

Contributed